Home
by Kagome51
Summary: Pre PP. If you died and were given a second chance, would you take it? Danny did. But returning is hard, especially when you've lost your humanity. There is only one way Danny can get his humanity back...love. D/S *Warning character death*...obviously...
1. The Sun Will Set

**Ok guys…yet another idea from the mind of, well, me! I really need to finish my other stories before I start writing new ones…currently I have one Fruits basket on hiatus because my computer won't give it back to me!! And I have…well this will be my fourth DP fic in progress (although none are posted). I learned from the Fruits Basket fic to write most, if not all, in advance to avoid any mishaps. **

**Title: **Home

**Summary:** Pre PP. If you died and were given a second chance, would you take it? Danny did. But returning is hard, especially when you've lost your humanity. There is only one way Danny can get his humanity back...love. D/S **Warning character death**...obviously...

**It has much more to it than the summary trust me, it's going to hopefully be a tear jerker by the end. That is if I can type it right…it never sounds as good on paper as it does in my head.**

**Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own him. Nor do I own the giant pink marshmallow peep of doom!**

**--**

_I close both locks below the window.  
I close both blinds and turn away.  
Sometimes solutions aren't so simple.  
Sometimes goodbye's the only way._

And the sun will set for you,  
The sun will set for you.  
And the shadow of the day,  
Will embrace the world in grey,  
And the sun will set for you.

"Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park

_--_

**Chapter one: The Sun Will Set**

Danny laughed a full whole-hearted laugh. Life for him was complicated, but he had learned to deal with it. Everyday trials such as school, chores and meeting curfew were the least of his problems. This boy was different than any other boy, for he was half ghost. To him, ghost encounters were pretty much an everyday occurrence.

And that was ok with him.

Danny had a family who loved him and friends who were always by his side. These were things not everyone could be proud to say they had. But Danny could.

And he soaked up every minute of it.

Danny was with his friends now at the Nasty Burger. He was quite fond of their 'usual' booth and they always sat in the same seats. Sam and Tucker usually sat together and Danny across from them.

That was ok with him too.

This way he could see Sam's face well. It had only been recently that he began to realize his feelings for the Goth girl. He found himself blushing a little more often and stammering sometimes when talking to her. If Sam noticed, she never said anything.

Currently, he was gazing at her as she and Tuck discussed their homework assignment for Mr. Lancer's class. He felt giddy around her lately and was finding it harder to focus. Tucker had those knowing looks that made Danny want to slap him. But he refrained.

A sad look crossed the halfa's features. He was beginning to realize just how much he cared for his best friend, and the more he thought about it, the more he concluded he was starting to understand what love felt like.

He gave Sam another unnoticed sad glance. There was no way she felt the same though. Besides, Danny rolled his eyes here; it could ruin what good friendship they already had. It would be too awkward to hang around each other if he confessed his undying love for the girl. She would probably freak, call him crazy and run. He would call and she'd ignore him and they'd have to take turns with who got Tucker when. He sighed. He would have to bear being her friend. Even if he wanted…_more…_

"What do you think, dude?" Tucker's voice snapped Danny from his sulking.

Looking between the two, "Huh? What?"

Sam raised a brow. "The homework assignment, Danny. Are you spacing again?"

There was that knowing look from Tucker.

Danny kicked him under the table making the dark-skinned boy yelp in surprise.

Sam looked from Danny to Tucker and back, thoroughly confused. She shrugged it off and looked at Danny expectantly.

"Uhm…" he said after a few moments. "Yes?"

Tucker face palmed. "You have no idea what we were talking about, do you, dude?"

Danny smiled sheepishly. "The homework, right?"

Sam nodded. "We were asking what you thought of going to my house to do the homework. We can watch a horror movie as a reward!"

Danny brightened, the prospect of going to Sam's was better than locking himself in his room and playing _Doomed_ all night like he had planned. "Sure! But I gotta grab the book from my house." He shoved his thumb over his shoulder.

Sam chuckled. "You forgot it _again_? If Lancer finds out you keep forgetting and skipping the in-class reading assignments he'll give you detention for sure!"

Danny shrugged. "What can ya do? Besides, he's not _that_ observant."

"Excuse me, Mr. Fenton?" Danny cringed and snuck a peek at the overweight teacher looming over him. _How does he _do_ that?!_

"Mr. Lancer! Hi! I-I was just talking about the h-homework…" he trailed off.

"Did I hear something about you skipping the reading assignments?" he raised a brow.

Danny sighed, defeated. "Yes. I forgot my book…again."

Mr. Lancer's eyes narrowed. "You know what I told you that last time that happened, right?"

Danny nodded.

"Good, glad you remembered. Tomorrow, I'll see you in detention." Mr. Lancer turned to Sam and Tucker. "Ms. Manson, Mr. Foley." He turned and walked over to the counter for an order of Nasty Fries.

"How does he do that?" Tucker said, echoing Danny's thoughts from earlier.

"I don't know! He pops out of nowhere!" Danny propped his head in his hand.

Sam leaned back in the booth. "Well, can't say I didn't warn you."

Danny shot her a look making Sam put up her hands in defense. "Well you can't!"

Danny sighed again, finding himself unable to stay mad at her. He smiled and let his hand fall to the table with a thud. "Why don't we head to my house for the book?"

Sam nodded and Tucker smiled. "Sure thing, dude! We're right there with ya."

Danny's smiled broadened as he stood and led the way out of the Nasty Burger.

Yup, he was certainly lucky to have those two. He cared for them more than they knew. They were his support, his lifeline.

Too bad good things come to an end.

The trio walked down the sidewalk about two blocks from Danny's house. The neon "Fenton Works" sign was already visible. Not to mention the Op Center was visible for miles…

Danny yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "You're already tired?" Tucker asked.

Danny shrugged. "Some elevated ghost activity lately, no biggie. I've had worse." He shot Tuck a smile.

As they neared Danny's house he glanced at Sam. She was in her usual combat boots, plaid skirt and black tee. Even so, Danny couldn't help but think of her as pretty.

Sam smiled. "What are you looking at?"

Danny snapped his head forward. "Nothing. Just…nothing." He felt his cheeks grow warm.

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Just make out and get it over with already." He muttered to himself. Unfortunately for him, his comment was over heard

Danny stopped and glared at his friend, Tucker smiling shyly and letting out a nervous laugh.

Sam raised a brow. "Did I miss something?"

Danny sighed. "Forget it." He started walking again. Sam glanced questioningly at Tucker who only smiled sheepishly.

Sam ran a few steps catching her raven-haired friend. "You ok?"

Danny gave her a small smile. "Yea, don't worry about it."

"Well, whatever Tucker did can't be that bad. He's harmless."

"Hey!" Tucker shouted from behind them. "I have muscles! I am strong! I can do plenty harm! Right, Danny?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Tuck."

Sam laughed. Danny smiled; her laugh was so…vibrant. He knew her laugh and could pick it out even among a crowd. It was a loud bubbly sort of laugh, the kind that makes your shoulders rise and fall and gives you a stomach ache after a while. Danny loved that about her. She gave everything her all, no matter what it was, even laughing. Sam did have a soft sort of giggle, but it was rare and only reared its head on special occasions. He loved hearing it.

Little did he know it would be the last time.

They made it to his house and walked up the steps. Danny opened the door, allowing them all inside. Before heading upstairs he popped his head in the lab.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad." He greeted.

"Hey, son! Want to see my new invention?!" Jack beamed, waving around his new invention.

Danny watched the device warily before shaking his head. "No thanks, I'm grabbing a few things and then we're going to Sam's. Maybe later though!"

"Sure thing, Danny!" Jack smiled.

"You kids have fun!" Maddie added with a smile of her own.

Danny gave a warm smile in reply and headed back up the stairs. He met Sam and Tucker in his room. "So what did you need to get?" Tucker asked from Danny's computer chair.

"Well, my book for one thing." Danny replied, his eyes scanning the room for said book. "Plus I had a new movie I've wanted to watch with you guys."

Sam's eyes lit up. "Oh, what kind of movie?"

Danny walked over to his computer desk and sent papers flying to the floor as he searched for his book. "It's called "Midnight Meat Train". Some new horror movie." He said absently.

"Ooh, sounds gory." Sam said delighted. Tucker nodded his agreement.

"Where is that stupid b-" Danny stopped when he heard a sudden crash downstairs. He looked at Sam and Tucker and they all concluded the same thing: Jack must have blown something up again.

But their conclusion soon crashed and burned into tiny piles of dust when Maddie screamed. "GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"

Alarmed, Danny ran downstairs without a second thought. Tucker and Sam followed wordlessly. The scene that greeted them made Danny halt in his tracks, Sam and Tucker bumping into him.

Two men had forced their way into the house, the door now lying in bits and pieces on the floor. _That's what the crash was._ Danny determined. One had his arm around Jazz's neck, whom had recently walked in the door after coming home from the store, and held a small pistol to her head. The other larger man held a semi-automatic aimed at Maddie. The larger man spoke. "Give us all your money and valuables or else she dies!"

Danny observed the men. He was shocked and panicking on the inside, but he wouldn't show weakness to these creeps. As he watched them, he tried to calculate how to save Jazz and make the men leave before they did anything stupid. Unfortunately, Maddie had already looked in his direction so he couldn't just turn ghost here.

The smaller man who held Jazz was putting on a brave face, but he was clearly scared out of his wits. He was an amateur; he wasn't even holding the gun right. The larger man was not afraid. He had power and knew it. He held the semi-automatic confidently and glared at Maddie with a smirk on his face.

Danny was starting to realize his only real chance may be to just throw caution to the wind and go ghost in front of his mom and dad, who were both at the top of the basement stairs.

"Danny, go get my jewelry box. Jack, go open the safe." Maddie commanded, the Fenton Ecto Bazooka armed in her hands. Unfortunately it wasn't going to do anything against the men except cover them in goo, but they didn't know that. At least, the smaller man didn't by the fear so evident in his eyes. If the larger man was startled by this, he didn't show it. He just kept the same smirk on his face.

Danny nodded and raced the up the stairs and into his parents' bedroom. He grabbed the jewelry box off their dresser and ran back downstairs with it. Jack had opened the safe across the room by the time Danny made it back. He stepped into the room and set the box on the floor. Jack stepped away from the safe.

"There, take what you want. Just give me my daughter back!" Maddie's glare darkened.

The larger man retrieved what he perceived as valuable and looked them over. "This will do nicely." He commented, a broad toothy grin etched on his unshaven face. Danny balled his fists. He really wanted to beat that look off the man.

Jazz looked like a deer in headlights. She didn't struggle, just waited and prayed the men would let her go. Her pleading eyes took turns glancing at everyone in the room. Jack's worried face met her gaze; Maddie didn't look at her, her attention on the men. Sam and Tucker gulped and Danny's determined look gave her strength and calmed her somewhat. She knew Danny would never let anything happen to her. He would give up his secret if he needed to.

"C-can we go now?" the scrawny man asked the larger one, almost begging. The other rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever. We've got what we came for. Let the girl go."

The smaller man let go of Jazz and she quickly ran across the room towards Danny.

She never made it.

Danny's eyes never left the cocky man. As Jazz ran, he didn't miss the evil smile that graced the man's lips. After that, it was all slow motion.

Danny's reflexes were faster than anyone else. He saw the evil grin and therefore reacted before anyone else would have thought to.

As Jazz ran, Danny ran towards her. The robber's hand came up and aimed his semi-automatic directly at Jazz's head, obviously rethinking his decision to let her go unharmed.

By the time he pulled the trigger, Maddie only had time to scream, Jack's eyes widened and Sam and Tucker reached for Danny.

A single shot ripped through the air.

The two men scrambled and ran out the door, hoofing it down the street. Jazz hit the ground with a thud. Maddie and Jack ran to her side while Sam and Tucker stayed back, Sam's hand over her mouth in disbelief.

Jack flipped her on her back and inspected her for injuries. Jazz waved his hands away. "I'm fine, Dad."

Maddie and Jack exchanged confused glances. "Then where did the bullet go?" Maddie questioned.

Danny's knees hit the floor with a thud, clutching his chest. All eyes turned to him as he pulled his hand away, blood literally spurting from the wound in his chest. Gasps filled the room. Danny stared at his hand, wondering briefly what the strange substance was in his hand. All he knew was his chest hurt.

Then it clicked. It hit him. In his selflessness he shoved Jazz to the ground and took the bullet that was sure to kill her. He looked up, giving one last loving look to all the shocked faces in the room before falling the rest of the way to the floor.

The group rushed to him, surrounding the raven-haired boy. Jack rolled Danny on his back and pulled his head into his lap. Sam and Maddie grabbed one of his hands while Jazz stroked his hair. Tucker grabbed the phone and called an ambulance.

Danny coughed violently, blood dripping down the sides of his mouth, and smiled weakly. This was it. It was kind of ironic too. Since he gained his ghost powers, he always figured he'd be wasted by a ghost, not a robber with a gun.

He never even told Sam how he felt…

Danny's eyes fluttered and his hearing began to fade. He could hear the desperate cries of his family and friends but could not understand what they were screaming. He squeezed Sam and Maddie's hands with what strength he could muster and smiled one last time.

As the darkness started to take him, he could make out the muffled sounds of sirens in the distance.

Despite his pain…it was quite peaceful. He was calm and serene. Maybe this darkness was ok. It certainly was soothing. Maybe here he could finally find the strength to confess to Sam; maybe here he could finally tell his parents the truth. He wasn't sure, but what he was sure of, was that it felt peaceful.

Danny closed his eyes and with visions of his loved ones dancing in his mind,

He let go…

--

**Wow…this almost made me cry writing it. SO NOT being egotistical. I just am surprised I was able to write it that way I did. It sounds good to me, which is a feat in itself.**

**Midnight Meat Train:** Yes, it's actually a movie. Not sure if it was in theatre's…but it's showing at my college next week!

**Hope you enjoyed! Ta!**


	2. Goodbye

Hey

**Hey! Another chapter for Home! I hope you liked the last one!**

**Disclaimer: Evil purple monkeys of butt scratching-ness! Lol I don't own DP.**

**Hmm…I heard from a friend that "Shadow of the Day" is actually a song about suicide…not sure if that's true, but it fits the first two chapters. You know… 'the sun will set for you'…dying…yeah. It fits.**

**Another note (sorry!). Parts of the chapters will be song chapters. I'll let you know which ones are. They're probably the saddest ones in the story. Enjoy!**

**--**

_Pink cards and flowers on your window,_

_Your friends all plead for you to stay._

_Sometimes beginnings aren't so simple._

_Sometimes goodbye's the only way._

_And the sun will set for you…_

Once again, "Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park.

--

**Chapter two: Goodbye**

**~*~**

Sam sat in the waiting room, her sobs echoing in the large empty space. Jack, Maddie and Jazz were in the room still, saying their goodbyes. Tucker was in the bathroom.

Everything that had transpired at the house was still vivid in her mind. She knew it was engraved there and that she would never be rid of the image.

_She held his hand as he coughed violently, his entire body shaking. She could barely see through her tears and blurry vision, but Danny, despite the wound to his chest, seemed…peaceful._

_She watched as his eyes began to flutter closed and she begged for him to hold on, her voice hoarse from screaming his name. His only response was a small smile and one last loving glance to everyone before…_

Sam balled her fists and hit the chair on either side of her. The tears flowed freely once again. She shook her head and clasped her hands around her head, desperately fighting the need to scream.

_He glanced at her, something, some emotion in his eyes she had never seen him direct towards her. She couldn't decipher what it was, nor had the time._

_They say you can tell when something dies; they take a large breath and let it all out slowly…_

_That's what he did. His eyes closed, he took a long, deep inhale, and his breath escaped him for one last time…_

Despite her feelings, Sam knew why Danny had looked so serene. He had saved Jazz's life, therefore completing his goal. Somehow, Sam knew the situation wasn't going to end well. Something inside her told her that as she has stood there watching the scene in reserved shock. Danny was selfless; he had proven that in his many dealings with ghosts. He proudly and bravely put himself in harms way to save people he had never met; people who, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have even bothered to glance his way.

And he was always ok with that.

Something deep inside her had told her a long time ago that Danny could die doing that. But she always pushed it aside telling herself that would never happen to him. He was too important.

She scoffed. Ironic a ghost wasn't what killed him. No…a human, probably one he had saved before, ended up wasting him.

The ambulance had arrived very soon after Tucker called them. The paramedics said it didn't look good and immediately put him in the van, the men working diligently to try and revive the boy. Only Maddie was allowed in the back. Jack rode in the front with the driver and Jazz drove Tucker and Sam to the hospital.

When they got there, the immediate family was allowed in the room, leaving Sam and Tucker outside the room to gaze at the happenings through the glass. The Doctor protested anyone being the in room, but a very angry Maddie 'persuaded' him to let them in.

Once, they were able to get a heart beat from Danny, raising everyone's hopes. But they were soon dashed as the boy's weak heart stopped again, unable to keep going with what little blood supply it had.

The nurses kept trying, even long after they knew it was way too late. His body had been without oxygen for almost 30 minutes by then. His brain was too damaged to support any kind of life, and even if by some miracle he lived, he would be a vegetable.

What kind of life was that anyway? Sam scoffed again. He would be hooked up to machines twenty-four seven, his brain unable to tell his lungs to breathe or his heart to beat. He'd be bed ridden for the rest of his miserable life, fed through a stomach tube, unable to speak or move, and he'd have to wear diapers and be changed like a child. No, that wasn't a life. That was torture.

Sam glanced at the clock through weary and wet eyes. It had been nearly forty-five minutes since he had been pronounced dead. That thought stirred up fresh tears.

Tucker appeared in the room and paused, debating something. Then he walked to Sam and sat beside her. Wordlessly, he wrapped an arm around her and held her close as she cried into his shoulder, him crying into her hair.

He never imagined losing his friend like this. They had some close calls, but Danny seemed…invincible. One question played over in his mind, though. Why didn't Danny go ghost? Yeah, his parents were there, but he would have had a better chance of making it in ghost form…he easily took hits in ghost mode that his human self wouldn't have been able to survive.

He sighed into Sam's hair and pulled back, wiping the tears from the grief stricken Goth girls face.

A few minutes later, Jack, Maddie, and Jazz appeared in the room, all of them an absolute mess. "Ok, guys. Your turn." Maddie said quietly.

Sam nodded and stood shakily, Tucker giving her support. They walked slowly passed the others and down the hallway to Danny's room. As they neared Sam stopped, her strength ebbing from her. Tucker gave her a few moments before urging her on. She gave him a grateful smile before entering the room. They took position on either side of the bed, each taking in the sight before them.

Danny lay there motionless; his face pale and lips blue. Blood covered him and the bed, most of it dry by now. Sam reached a trembling hand forward and grabbed his hand. It was so cold…but not the cold she remembered from his ghost form…this cold was uninviting…and sadly permanent.

She finally lost her resolve again and broke down, practically throwing herself on the raven-haired boy and sobbing into his blood soaked shirt. Tucker gently coaxed her off and held her hand to calm her down a bit. Sam sniffed and nodded letting Tucker know she was ok.

Looking back at Danny, she smiled sadly at the calm look on his face. "It's almost like he wanted this." She whispered to Tucker as if she'd wake the halfa. Tucker nodded gravely. "You know he wanted to save her. He would sacrifice his life for someone who hated him if he needed to." Tucker replied softly.

Sam stepped closer and ran her hands through the thick black hair on Danny's head. It was askew and a few strands dangled in his face. Sam smiled remembering him saying he needed a hair cut. Tentatively, she pushed the strands out of his face and smoothed his hair behind his ears. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry. I should have admitted everything to you." She pulled back and bit her lip, fighting the tears that threatened to come.

Tucker gave Danny a pat on his cold shoulder and a sad smile. "I'm gonna miss you, dude." He said, finally breaking down and allowing the tears to fall again. "You were like a brother."

Sam smiled at Tucker and sniffed, rubbing Danny's cold arm. "Goodbye, Danny." Sam's voice faltered at her words. She never wanted to say goodbye to him…

"Bye, dude." Tucker echoed and walked towards the door. Sam stared at him a moment longer, unable to believe he was really gone, and shook her head, allowing her hair to cover here face. With a shaky breath, she leaned forward one last time and kissed Danny softly on his soft cold cheek. With a farewell smile, she turned and grabbed Tucker's waiting hand.

They paused at the door, gave one final glance, and walked out.

--

Danny awoke with a jerk. He sat up and whipped his head in all directions. The only thing he saw was an incessant bright light. What the heck?

He remembered the men in the house and them demanding money, he also remembered them letting go of Jazz and then the big guy lifting his gun to shoot…

Danny placed a hand on his head and shook it. It was still sort of hazy and the fog was preventing him from remembering the rest.

Placing his arm back behind him for support he looked around again, this time slower and calmer. He really didn't see anything, just…light. _Strange_…

Suddenly a whoosh of air swirled around him making him lean up and cover his face with his arms. It stopped as suddenly as it started and Danny cautiously lowered his arms. Looking around him, a confused look crossed his face.

"Behind you."

Danny jumped. He snapped his head behind him and gasped at the sight. A man clad in a white robe and golden collar stood before him. There was silver veins twirling and winding around in intricate patterns on the robe, golden leaves accenting the silver veins. But the most prominent feature of this man was two large feathered wings on his back.

Danny slowly stood, his eyes never leaving the man.

"Don't be afraid, child. You're in a better place now." The angelic voice soothed Danny's nerves.

Then it clicked.

That was it! Danny had shoved Jazz down and _he_ was the one hit with the bullet! He finally remembered giving his family and friends one last look before he allowed himself to be taken by the calming darkness.

He froze, standing rigid. He died…

Panicking, Danny slapped his hands all around his body looking for the wound on his chest. When he did, he realized he was wearing a robe similar to the man, only this one was pure sparkling silver. His eyes widened and he glanced behind him. Big white feathers…

He yelped and started spinning in circles trying to get a better look at the wings.

The Angel laughed at the comical boy. He looked like a dog chasing its tail.

When Danny couldn't reach the wings he whimpered and stopped. Still looking behind him, he gave them an experimental flap, scaring the wits out of himself. He jumped and looked wide eyed at the chuckling Angel.

His surprise soon turned to anger, however. "What are you laughing at?!" he demanded, a scowl clearly written on his face.

The Angel stopped laughing and instead smiled. "You, my child."

Danny glared, making the Angel laugh once again. The blue-eyed boy scoffed and stomped back and forth, his narrowed eyes not leaving the man.

The Angel calmed and smiled again. "It's been a while since I've seen that sort of reaction. Most people are ecstatic and immediately want to learn how to fly. You looked like a puppy trying to catch its own tail."

"I already know how to fly." The boy quipped. Danny calmed a bit and sighed. "I guess I'm in…Heaven?" he ventured. The Angel nodded. Danny scratched the back of his head. "I figured because of all the trouble I've caused, I would have, you know…ended up somewhere else."

The Angel raised a brow. "Trouble?"

"Well yea." Danny shrugged. "All the ghost fighting, hurting people, destroying property. Not to mention, I never really had a strong belief in God."

The man smiled again. "Well, you may not have believed in Him, but He believed in you. That is why you are here. Besides," he waved his hand. "You did all those things to protect other people."

Danny glanced around again. "So…God likes me?"

The Angel nodded. "Of course; you are in His favor. You have always been willing to put yourself in danger for others. You never put yourself first. In the end, you ultimately sacrificed yourself to save your sister."

It was Danny's turn to raise a brow. "I've never exactly thought of my self as selfless. In fact, I think I'm pretty self_ish_."

The Angel shrugged. "God doesn't see it that way." He stepped forward and put his arm around Danny, guiding him somewhere in the light.

"Who are you anyway?" Danny asked, looking up at the taller Angel.

"My name is Ambriel, young one."

Danny turned his gaze forward, confused as to where Ambriel was taking him. Soon, however, he was quite sure.

Before them stood the Pearly Gates--the entryway into Heaven. Danny stood in awe and wonder at the sight of the huge beautiful gates. Beyond that he could see countless other Angels, a few of which stopped on the other side of the gate and waved. Not knowing what else to do, he waved back, a look of shock still on his face.

Ambriel smiled down at Danny. The emotions crossing the young boys face were countless. The gears in his head were turning and he had so many questions.

"I get to go in there?" Danny looked up at Ambriel, dumbfounded.

Ambriel smiled again. "Of course you do. But, not yet."

Danny's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Daniel James Fenton, you, unlike most others, get a choice." He poked the young lad on the nose, making Danny wrinkle it in response.

"A choice? Trust me; I don't want to go to Hell. I'll be fine right here." He said hurriedly, jumping to conclusions.

Ambriel laughed another smooth silky laugh. "No, child, not that choice."

"Oh…" Danny was both relieved and now more confused than before. He gave a questioning look to the Angel who smiled.

"You sacrificed yourself for another. That is a feat in and of itself, my boy." He patted Danny on the shoulder, making the feathers on his wings flutter. "But for you, your time was not up."

Danny gazed at the ground and fiddled with his hands. It wasn't up?

"Well technically it is, you died they way you were supposed to, but God has other plans for you." Ambriel kneeled to Danny's height. "You are given the choice to enter Heaven's Gate, by which you will never be allowed to leave again, or you can return home."

Danny's eyes lit up. "I can go home?!" he said excitedly. "When?! How?!"

Ambriel placed a hand on Danny's shoulders to still the practically leaping boy. Heaven sure had a way of bringing out everyone's childlike innocence. "Yes, Daniel, you can go home. But I must warn you…you will not go back the way you expected."

Danny cocked his head inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

Ambriel sighed. "Well…"

--

**I am so mean…yes I am. *Hides* Please don't throw tomatoes…I HATE those vile things! It was a bit shorter than I wanted…but hey!**

**I added Danny spinning in circles for comedy relief, sort of…lol. The first part was so sad it was making me depressed…so I made the end a bit lighter.**

**Special Thanks to: Joy-Chan, XxDragon PhantomxX, Dannytimmygirl327, fletchp, and Dannyp3995!!**

**Next time: Danny learns the 'catch' and Sam goes so far into depression, Tucker wonder's if he'll ever be able to save her.**


	3. One Way Back

**Iiiiit's back!! ^_^ Sorry for the cliffie, but here you go, another chapter! Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Tiny bite-sized midgets of gravy! I don't own DP! **

**Hmm…this chapter has a bit of religious-y stuff in it. If you don't like it, well then, I guess you don't have to read it. It's not bad though, it goes with the story.**

**--**

_You'll find better love,_

_Strong as it ever was._

_Deep as the river runs,_

_Warm as the morning sun._

_Please, remember me._

"Please Remember Me" by Tim McGraw.

--

**Chapter three: One Way Back**

**~*~**

Tucker sat in Mr. Lancer's class. He sighed and glanced at the two empty seats next to him. He couldn't believe it had been four days already since Danny passed on. Mr. Lancer and the other students seemed to be upset too. The homework was easier, class assignments shorter, and even Dash tried to cheer him up.

The two empty seats accounted for Danny and Sam. Since Danny's death, Sam hadn't been to school. She locked herself in her room and refused to come out. It didn't matter what Tucker said, he couldn't get her to come out. And the more the days passed, the more she secluded herself. Sam talked to him less and less and, in fact, last night she never answered his call. He sighed again. It just wasn't the same without him. Danny was the mediator between him and Sam whenever they got into their debates. And lately, their debates were escalating into full out arguments and, yesterday morning, a fight. Well, that was mostly Sam's fault. She was angry and yelled at Tucker for trying to get her to go to school 'before she was ready'. Without their blue-eyed companion, their friendship was falling apart.

Tucker let his head fall into his hands. He just couldn't sleep anymore; the dark circles under his eyes were evidence to that. He felt his eyes flutter closed as his exhaustion caught up to him.

"Mr. Foley." Mr. Lancer's voice snapped Tucker's head up. He looked around the room; many eyes of his fellow students were on him. "I know a lot has happened in the past week, Mr. Foley, but you can not sleep in my class. Understand?"

Tucker slumped again in his seat. "Yeah, sure, Mr. Lancer."

The bald teacher raised a brow at the dark-skinned teen. Worry flooded his face at the sight of the boy so distraught and fatigued. Even he had to admit he missed the C student, but he knew no one was taking it as hard as Mr. Foley and Ms. Manson. The said girl hadn't even been to school. With a somber shake of his head, he continued the lecture.

Tucker was too tired to care about the lecture, so he propped his head in one hand and pretended to take notes by doodling in his notebook. All that came of it were odd shapes that looked like ghosts, so Tucker drew in some ghostly eyes and a mouth on each. When he was done and surveyed his work, the drawings only served to sadden him further.

Since the ghost boy died, ghost activity was at a minimum. He wasn't sure if it was coincidence, or if the ghosts actually knew he was gone. Whatever the cause, Tucker was grateful. They only dug up bad memories.

The bell rang and Tucker looked up at the clock forlornly. School was over, time to go home and try to contact Sam again. He shut his notebook and placed it and his pencil into his backpack before picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder. Scooting back, his chair making scraping noises across the tile floor, Tucker stood and slowly walked to the door.

"Mr. Foley." Mr. Lancer stopped his progression. Tucker regarded him with sad eyes. "Please, sit." Mr. Lancer guided Tucker to a seat.

Tucker plopped himself into it and waited. The overweight teacher bit his lip before starting. "Look, I know this is hard. I know you all were very close. But time mends and you will heal soon enough."

Tucker turned his gaze to the floor. "Sam doesn't even speak to me anymore." He didn't know why he was saying this to Mr. Lancer. He supposed it was because he was keeping it in and finally felt like he could tell someone how he really felt. "We fought yesterday. We debate over things, that's just who we are. But without Danny here…we're falling apart."

Lancer sighed and clasped his hands in his lap as he sat on his desk. "I'm sorry to hear that." He was at a loss as to how to help the boy. All he could offer was his sympathy.

"His funeral is today."

The boy's words startled Lancer for a moment. Was it really that time already? "I'll be sure to pay my respects."

"Thanks…"

Lancer gave Tucker a small smile. "You better go then, before you're late."

Tucker nodded and stood to head out, but as he reached the door, Mr. Lancer stopped him again. "I know this isn't like me to say this, but cheer up, Mr. Foley. I miss seeing the chipper you, even if you did get in trouble a lot." He added the last sentence with a small chuckle to hopefully lighten the mood. "Be strong, for Sam."

It was Tucker's turn to be surprised. Mr. Lancer _never_ used their first names. He really must be serious. "I will. Thank you, Mr. Lancer." He turned and left, leaving a solemn bald teacher in an empty room.

--

Sam lay in her bed, facing her ceiling, staring at the shadows on the ceiling. She just didn't have the strength to go any farther. Danny was gone…and she never told him how she felt. She took him for granted; even knowing being the infamous Danny Phantom could one day kill him. But it was done. And there was nothing she could do to change it.

Memories of the last few days flooded her thoughts. She had been rude to Tucker lately and she wasn't happy about it, but she needed her space. Jazz, while still going to school, was a mess. She had actually gotten a B on a test. Jack was staying strong for his family, but when he thought no one was looking, the sadness seemed to overwhelm him. His eyes betrayed his heart. Maddie…she wasn't fairing too well. She slept in Danny's room every night since he passed. She mumbled incoherent things, of which only a few phrases could be made out, while asleep. Mostly she said things like, "My baby…" or "Come back."

Sam flipped over and buried her face in her pillow. It was soaked from the tears she shed earlier, but now, she didn't have the strength to cry. She clutched the pillow and shoved her face hard into the plush fabric, briefly wondering if she suffocated herself could she then see him again? She shook the thought away and turned her head to lie in a more comfortable position.

_Why, Danny? _She thought. But she knew the answer; everyone did: he protected Jazz. He did exactly what he wanted to do. Danny would have gladly sacrificed himself for some hobo off the streets. That's just who he was.

_You left me here…with no closure. I knew I could lose you someday. But I wasn't prepared…it happened so fast. I didn't want to lose you…not like that._ She sighed.

It didn't matter. She could blame herself, she could blame the men who shot him, she could blame God for allowing it to happen, but none of it could bring him back. She could curse everyone until she was blue in the face, but it changed nothing.

She sat up and flipped her legs over the side of the bed. With a small push she got to her feet and walked to her window. It was pouring and the rain splattered loudly on her window pane. Glancing at the clock she saw it was almost 2:30. Tucker was sure to call her soon; Danny's funeral was in two and a half hours. With a heavy heart, she went to her dresser, picked out a simple black dress and black shoes from her closet and laid them on her bed. Grabbing a towel from her linen closet she went into her bathroom to shower and get ready for the funeral.

--

Tucker dialed Sam's number only to be ignored. "Come on, Sam. Don't do this, not now." He hissed angrily to himself. The funeral was in less than two hours and he needed to be sure she was there. She would never forgive herself if she missed her last chance to say goodbye. He dialed again, this time getting an answer.

_Hello?_

"Sam! Where have you been, I've called like ten times!" Tucker said exasperated.

_I was in the shower, Tuck, calm down._

"You're telling _me_ to calm down…that's rich." He said, almost sarcastically. He could tell Sam was glaring at the phone without needing to see it.

_Look, Tuck, I'm sorry, ok? I'm having a really bad time-_

"You're not the only one, Sam! _Everyone_ is having a bad time! Think of his family!" he practically shouted into the phone.

Sam held the phone away from her ear. With an angry scowl she replaced the phone. _I KNOW that, Tucker! I just…I don't know how to deal with it._

Tucker rubbed his temple with his free hand. "I know, Sam. But none of us do. Mrs. Fenton is a wreck, Mr. Fenton is like a ticking time bomb and Jazz…well she's doing better than most."

Silence greeted him. He sighed. "Look, Sam, You'd be better off if you dealt with it _with_ someone."

Sam paused. Then, _I'm perfectly fine by myself, thank you._ Tucker didn't miss the somewhat hostile tone to the Goth girl.

The dark-skinned boy rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do what you want, Sam. I won't stop you, but I hope you at least make it to his funeral."

_I was planning on it. I'm going to finish getting ready now. Bye, Tuck_. Sam's tone calmed and her anger seeped from her. She knew she shouldn't treat Tucker so bad.

"Alright. See you later." Tucker hung up and fell back onto his bed. He rubbed his temples trying to alleviate the headache that was starting to form. This whole situation was really starting to wear on his nerves. Letting his hands fall to his sides, he stared at his ceiling with a distant look. In less than two hours…he was going to say his final farewell to his best friend…

--

Danny glared impatiently at the Angel. This guy was unnerving! "Just tell me what you mean already!"

Ambriel was unfazed by the boy's outburst. "Well, you won't be human."

Danny just stared at the man. The wheels in his mind slowly began to turn as he comprehended what Ambriel was saying. "Wait…I'm not going back as some reincarnated animal am I?"

Ambriel shook his head. "No, young one, not as an animal. You've been this 'something' before."

Danny balled his fists. "Just tell me! Stop beating around the bush!"

Ambriel chuckled lightly. "You're going to be a ghost, Daniel. Not a hybrid, but a full fledged ghost."

Danny stood dumbfounded. "What?"

Ambriel sighed and waved his hands. "A ghost, Daniel. You float around, walk through walls, and go invisible. Come on, you've done it before."

"Yes, I know I've done it before." Danny said, his anger flaring again. "What I mean is, you're sending me back to haunt my family?"

Ambriel raised a brow. "Not exactly, child. I guess you could if you really wanted, but all you're parents will see is the ghost boy whom they want to destroy."

Danny saddened. How could he tell his parents he was their son after he died? He had no way to prove to them he was their son now that he wouldn't be able to turn human.

Ambriel watched the emotions play on Danny's face. "Do not fret, young one. There is a way around it."

Danny brightened. "Really? What is it?"

Ambriel bit his lip. "Well…I have been forbidden by the Almighty Himself to tell you outright how you can obtain your humanity once more, but he didn't say I couldn't tell you in a riddle."

"A riddle? Why a riddle?" Danny questioned.

"Because that wouldn't be telling you outright, now would it?" Ambriel raised a brow playfully. Danny smiled. He liked loopholes.

He froze. "Wait…wouldn't that still technically be going against God?" Danny asked.

The Angel merely shrugged. "Not really. Besides, God is an understanding sort. I'm sure he'd be fine with it. Not to mention you're so clueless you _need_ this to figure it out." He smirked.

Danny glowered. "I'm not clueless!"

Ambriel shrugged again. "If you say so."

Danny couldn't believe it. This guy was _supposed_ to be an Angel, and there he was mocking him! What happened to the nice guy he met only moments ago? "Fine. What's the riddle?"

Ambriel stood straight and placed his hands together as if he was praying. "I lie in wait, away from light. I lie within, just out of sight. I'm something strong, you can not miss. Release me with true love's first kiss."

Danny stared at the man befuddled. Ambriel was quite pleased with himself for the riddle. Anyone could guess what the answer was. Anyone but Danny, of course. He was clueless and too naïve to understand the meaning of his words.

Ambriel sighed at the boy's lost look and turned around, walking away. "Wait!" Danny called, running after the Angel, his wings flapping behind him frantically. "What does it mean?"

Ambriel turned back around abruptly, Danny crashing into him and hitting the ground with a thud. He looked up at the man. "I can not tell you, Daniel, that's the point. You need to figure it out on your own. I thought it was simple enough…" his last thought was nearly whispered.

Danny rolled his eyes and subconsciously used his wings to right himself, feathers spraying everywhere. He brushed his robe off, though no dirt was present. "So when can I go back?"

Ambriel smiled. "Soon. But there is something you must know. Time here passes much differently than time on earth. A few days here could be months on earth."

Danny's eyes bulged. "Then I need to get back soon!" he screamed, making the Angel recoil and cover his ears.

"Keep it down, lad. My ears are very sensitive."

Danny rolled his eyes again. "I need to go back, Ambriel."

"I know that." The Angel said casually, angering Danny further. "But you need to know that I will be your…guardian Angel if you will."

Danny cocked his head. "You'll be spying on me?"

Ambriel placed a finger to his lip. "More like protecting you."

Danny shook his head. This time it was his turn to walk off. He mumbled something the Angel just barely caught. "God's a pervert…"

"He is not!" Ambriel stamped his foot. "Honestly, child. God created you. He knows every hair and freckle on your body."

Danny stopped and looked at the Angel with panicky eyes. "Ok, so now He's kinky…"

Ambriel scoffed. "Will you stop that? Don't let the Almighty hear you say these things! He is wonderful. There is nothing about him that is, as you said, 'kinky' or 'perverted'. He loves you and His only interest is to protect you."

Danny calmed. He never really believed in God before all this, and quite frankly, he was really wishing this was all a dream, but he knew it wasn't, and if God was real, then he supposed he had nothing to fear. His tension eased and regarded Ambriel with a calm gaze.

"That's more like it." Ambriel smiled. Danny inwardly chuckled at the man. He was pretty odd for an Angel. Well, he'd never met one before, but he had never really expected one to be this…lively.

"So," Danny started. "Is there any other catch?"

Ambriel gave Danny a confused look. "No, young one. What do you mean?"

"Well, you aren't going to tell me I can never see my friends, are you?"

The Angel smiled again. "No. This is your second chance at life, Daniel. God wants you to have it. You can see your friends and even your family if you like. Just be careful, you won't be human so it will be harder to hide from those who wish to hunt you. You won't be able to hide behind a building, turn back and pop out as if you were just a passer-by."

Danny nodded in understanding. It wouldn't be easy, at least not until he regained his human half. But with his friends he was sure to make it just fine.

--

Danny's friends and family watched as Danny's casket was lowered into his grave. The funeral had gone pretty well, as funerals go, and a lot of people showed up. Danny's uncles, aunts, and cousins all came to see him. Even his grandparents were able to make it. Maddie, Jack, Jazz, and even Sam all made eulogies in the halfa's honor. Tucker decided against it. He didn't seem like it, but he wasn't really one for public speaking. Not to mention he had been trying to hold himself together for quite some time now and giving a sad speech on behalf of his best friend was bound to break him.

It was pouring pretty badly, but they still stood there in the rain and said their goodbyes as Danny's casket disappeared into the ground. They stood there even as the dirt was poured over it, even as the sod was placed over the mound, and even as the people started to part and leave. Unable to stare at the tombstone any longer, the Fenton's went home, leaving a soaked Sam and Tucker still standing there.

Tucker glanced at Sam, her emotionless face rising concern in him. "You ok, Sam?"

"Yes." She answered simply. "I'm ok." She knelt down and placed the roses she had been holding the entire service next to the stone.

**Daniel James Fenton**

**Oct. 12 1991 – Nov. 3 2007**

**Beloved son and friend.**

When Sam stood, Tucker put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into his embrace and sighed heavily. "Farewell, my friend." Tucker said.

"I'm sorry, Danny. I wish I could have shared my secret with you." Sam wiped her drenched hair from her face.

They turned after a few moments and left, walking down the street.

--

"Can I go now?" a very impatient Danny was losing all he had left.

Ambriel simply smiled. "Soon, there is still much to explain. Now, the restoring process takes some time. You, however, will not notice the passing of time. You'll be unconscious for it. But earth will progress and by the time you get back, it will probably be at least a few days since your death."

Danny nodded. Ambriel took this as a sign and continued. "I can't be with you, I must remain here. But since I am your 'guardian angel' you can contact me." Danny looked at the Angel questioningly. "Just pray."

Danny raised a brow. "So I just talk to myself and you appear?"

"No, Daniel. One: praying is _not_ talking to yourself, it's talking to _God_. Two: I will not appear, I need to stay here. If you pray and ask a question I will answer you. If you simply need someone to talk to, pray and I will listen."

"Isn't that how it works with God?" Danny asked. Ambriel nodded. "Ok, then why doesn't he answer?" Danny said annoyed.

Ambriel shook his head. "So naïve." He muttered. "God _does_ answer your prayers, but he may not answer them in the way you expected _or_ in your timeline. God knows the plans he has for you. You can't change that."

Danny sighed. "Saying it that way makes me feel like a puppet."

Ambriel grinned. "Quite the contrary, my boy! It should make you feel secure knowing God is in control!"

"Sure…" Danny said. "Can I go now?"

Ambriel shook his head playfully. "Yes, Daniel. Now you may go."

As Ambriel finished the sentence a white light surrounded Danny. He yelped in surprise but calmed when a serene feeling took over. His eyes fluttered as a familiar darkness swept over him. Instincts told him to fight it, but his body said otherwise. With one last peaceful glance at the white world around him, he allowed the darkness to take him.

--

Sam still didn't go to school. She barely left her room. Well, she basically had everything she needed right there; a bed, a bathroom, her computer, and a mini fridge stocked with food and drinks. She kept in touch with Tucker, albeit on the down low. They only talked about once a day, if that. She just didn't care for it anymore. Besides, they just argued.

The more she drew into herself, the more her mother pestered her. Sam knew what she was doing wasn't healthy, and she didn't care, but to get her mother off her back, she went to a doctor and was prescribed various kinds of medication. Yeah, that's just what she needed. Her best friend dies, let's medicate her!

The last few days she had resorted to screaming fits with her mom and dad and got herself so wound up she could barely breathe. For that, they gave her Ace, a sedative pill to take when she got too worked up. She had anti-depressants, sleeping pills to help her sleep, and vitamins because she wasn't eating like she should. She didn't want them, but if it made her mother shut up she'd gladly down the whole bottle. She shook her head. Where did that thought come from?

_Maybe I really do need those anti-depressants_. She mused.

Sighing, she opened a few of the bottles, took a few pills and lay back down in bed, hoping sleep would come soon.

--

**Yea…depressing I know. And the funeral…I didn't type out the service because…well I've only been to two services in my life and it's been a while since then. Therefore, I don't really know what goes on besides a viewing and eulogies. My apologies to those who may have wanted to read about it.**

**I also wrote this chapter while at work. I work at an animal hospital and this weekend was my turn for graveyard. So I'm sitting here from midnight to 8am with…well basically nothing to do. Just gotta walk the dogs and sweep and mop. *sigh* can't fall asleep so yea. Good time to write!**

**Next time: Danny returns! But now that he's back, what will he do? Everyone thinks he's dead…**


	4. Return

**Chapter four, yay! Let's see if I can write this whole thing at work!**

**Disclaimer: Too tired for anything weird…I don't own DP.**

**Lol I didn't even realize I had Danny's death date and the upload date on the same day! I wrote the chapter a week ago lol. That's pretty neat though!**

**Oh and also, I forgot to thank those who reviewed for chapter two! I'm sorry! And due to limited time right now, I'll add the guys from chapter 3 next time!**

**One more thing. I love all the favorites and story alerts I'm getting, but I'm getting a lot from people who don't review lol. If you don't want to, that's ok. I just like hearing your feedback and what you think of it. It makes me a better writer and gives me an idea of what you guys like. So please try to review.**

**You guys rock!!**

**--**

_And I forgot to tell you,  
I love you.  
And the nights too long  
and cold here without you  
I grieve in my condition  
for I cannot find the strength_

_To say I need you so._

"I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan

--

**Chapter four: Return**

**~*~**

The air was chilly. The wind was gentle but brought with it an icy sensation colder than before. That was the first thing he noticed. The second: the soft prickly feeling of grass. His eyes fluttered for a moment before they opened slightly. He squinted allowing his eyes to adjust. It wasn't bright, quite the contrary, it was night time. But the moon was full and directly overhead; not to mention he had been out cold for who knows how long.

His eyes snapped open. He shot up so fast he had to hold his head to keep the world from spinning. When he was successful he looked at his surroundings. No white light, no Angel, just trees, grass and bushes.

Danny smiled. He was home! The eerie glow from the moon cascaded light all around him. He didn't need that to see well in the dark, however, the glow from his eyes allowed him to see about as well as a cat in pitch darkness. The realization of him being home made his stomach do flips. He rolled himself onto his belly and pushed himself up, briefly noticing the near weightlessness of his own body. His pushed it away as an afterthought. He was used to feeling lighter in ghost form.

But that last thought made him stop. He remembered what Ambriel had told him; he no longer had a human half. Creasing his brow in a frown he looked down at himself. He looked just like he did in ghost mode, only his glow was brighter. He decided to test it out and reached inside himself to find that warm spot.

As he continued to search the panic began to rise within him. He couldn't find the warm sensation! Without it, he couldn't turn human. He clamped his eyes tight in concentration and tried without heed to turn human. After a few moments he stopped and drooped his shoulders, defeated. It really was gone. It wasn't just some horrible dream. He really had died.

And he was no loner human.

Danny sighed and slumped to his knees. The excitement from returning home was quickly drowned by his sadness. Then he remembered something else Ambriel told him. The riddle! _Oh, how did it go? Come on Fenton, think!_ He berated himself. The memories of Heaven slowly invaded his mind, but he was having a difficult time remembering the riddle. He hit the ground in frustration, but then calmed. He could find out later by asking Ambriel himself if he needed to. That made him feel somewhat relieved.

His nerves calmed, he set about finding his exact location. He had to be in Amity, Ambriel wouldn't send him back to see his loved ones in the wrong area. At least, he hoped the Angel wouldn't. He did seem odd…perhaps he would love to play a trick on the ghost boy. Danny shook the thought from his mind. Ambriel wasn't that cruel. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that the light hearted Angel was conniving.

Danny flew above the trees in turned in all directions looking for a clue. Before long he was able to figure out he was in the park. It was about halfway across town from his house so it shouldn't take too long for him to fly there. He started to head in that direction but quickly halted. His family…they wouldn't believe he was their son. He had no way to prove it. What about Sam and Tucker? Danny soon dismissed Tucker. He wanted to tell him, but something inside Danny told him that Sam needed him more right now. So it was settled. He'd go see Sam. But first, he wanted to visit his family while they slept so he could at least see their faces.

Without further distraction, Danny set off for home. Sorrow, excitement and nervousness all cycled through him. He was hesitant to see them for he knew it would break his heart. And yet at the same time he _needed_ to see them to see for his own eyes they were ok. After a quick ten minute flight the neon Fenton Works sign was in view. It was just as he left it.

He stopped just outside and debated on who to see first. He resided on Jazz and flew into her bedroom. The temperature in the room dropped quite a bit at his appearance, but Jazz only noticed it subconsciously and pulled the blanket closer to her in her sleep. She seemed to be somewhat peaceful at least.

Danny flew to the floor and walked to her bedside. Her hair was slightly askew and spread on her pillow and her hand came up to cradle her cheek. Danny smiled at the sight. He reached forward and pushed a stray hair behind her ear and caressed her exposed cheek before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She shivered at the chilling touch. Smiling sadly at his sister, he slowly drifted off the floor and flew out of her room.

He flew down the hallway and phased into his parents room. Something instantly struck him as odd. His mother wasn't there…

Looking about the room he found no sign of her. Giving up for the moment, he went to Jack's side of the bed and watched as the large man tossed and turned. He must have been having a bad dream. Danny placed a hand on his dad's arm and the man instantly ceased his flailing and a more serene look shaped his face. The coolness of Danny's touch soothed the dream away and replaced it with a calm feeling.

Grateful he could help his dad out, Danny smiled. Sure he was sometimes annoying, awkward and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but he was a loving father and a doting husband. Danny couldn't have asked for a better dad. He shook his head. They were right when they said you never know what you have until you've lost it.

Giving Jack one last pat, he set off in search of Maddie. She had to be somewhere in the house. But where?

Danny got his answer as he flew through his room. He stopped and stared. She was in his bed.

A somber expression crossed Danny. The look on her face…it was so pained…so heart broken. He flew closer and saw something twinkle in the light. She had been crying. Small wet trails still existed on her cheeks, telling Danny it hadn't been long since she had fallen asleep. "I'm so sorry, mom." He whispered to her as he took her hand and held it. Maddie shifted making Danny freeze, but it was brief and she settled down quickly.

"Danny…" she breathed. Danny froze again, this time becoming invisible just in case. But he soon realized she was still sleeping. _She must be dreaming about me…_ he thought sadly. He reached forward and wiped the tear trails from her cheeks. As he did so, a few drops of wetness landed on his thigh. He looked down, somewhat startled.

He hadn't noticed when he started crying.

He shook his head and wiped the tears with his sleeve, but no amount of trying to hide them made them stop. They continued to flow without his consent.

Danny looked back to Maddie's face. It contorted in pain and…fear? Whatever it was, Danny wanted it to stop. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek, Maddie visibly shivering. "I love you…" he said softly. With one last loving gaze, he phased out of the house.

He floated there for a few minutes simply letting the tears come. Maddie's expression was etched into his memory, haunting him. He knew he wasn't going to be rid of it anytime soon. With another wipe and a sigh, he flew to Tucker's house to check on him.

He actually chuckled at the sight of Tucker. He looked sad too, but the way he was cradling his PDA was comical. Danny glanced around the familiar room; the only thing catching his eye appeared to be a photo. He floated to it and instantly recognized it as a picture Jazz had taken of him, Tucker and Sam while out ghost hunting. He had seen it before, but the one next to it he had never seen. It was older, the edges were crumpled and a small tear was taped in a corner. In the picture were a small Tucker and Danny.

Danny smiled fondly. He didn't remember it being taken, but it was him and Tuck around the age of five or so playing in a sandbox. Danny had made a rocket out of sand while Tucker made a game controller. He remembered Tucker got so sad when his dad refused to let him use it as a real controller. They were so young then.

He realized Tucker must have dug it out of somewhere after he died. That was the only explanation he could find for never seeing it before.

He drifted back to Tucker. They had been the best of friends since they were three. They met Sam when they were five, a few months after the picture was taken if he remembered correctly.

Sam…

With a final smile to his dark-skinned friend, he flew out of his room and into the night air. It wasn't long until he reached her house and phased through the wall. He glanced around the room. It was dark, mostly soft hues of purple with black splashed throughout. He liked it, though. It made him calm.

His eyes turned to the girl in the bed and they nearly bulged. _Holy crap…_ was all this mind could muster.

She looked a mess. Granted, he still found her beautiful, but even under the covers he could tell she had lost weight. There was barely anything to her to begin with so he knew that couldn't be healthy. Sam had always been of fair complexion, but she was downright pale as a ghost! The dark circles under her eyes indicated little sleep as well.

Now he understood why he had that overwhelming feeling to see her first. She wasn't fairing very well…

He walked closer to her bed and could only bring himself to stare. Did his death really impact her this much? She was so strong… he hoped she had been able to cope much better than this!

The more he stared, the more he felt a strong urge to hold her, stroke her hair and tell her everything was ok. But he hesitated. He looked around the room for a few more minutes trying to decide if he should actually wake her up or not. When he looked back at Sam he gasped.

Two amethyst eyes met his.

Sam's own gasp cut through the silence. She sat up slowly and stared at Danny wide-eyed. He took a step back not sure what to do. He sort of had this planned out; he had been thinking of what to say the whole flight over here. But now faced with Sam, the words left him.

"D-Danny?" she stuttered groggily.

Danny smiled shyly. "Uh, Hi." _Oh way to go, Fenton._ He mocked himself.

Sam's reaction next was so sudden Danny barely had time to react himself. He never expected a lamp to be hurled at his face…

"Stop toying with me!" she nearly screamed. Luckily her parents had left that afternoon to visit family so they weren't home to hear her.

"Sam…what are you…talking about?" he said between dodging random objects.

"You're not Danny! Danny's dead!" She screamed again, this time grabbing a very thick book and chucking it in Danny's direction. He turned intangible to avoid being hit. "Sam, calm down!" he cried trying to reason with her.

He was knocked to the floor by a large pillow smacking him in the face. Pushing it off he leaped and grabbed Sam's wrists to stop her from throwing anything else. "Get off me!" she shouted, kicking.

Danny sighed and let the Goth girl kick and scream to her hearts content until she finally expended her energy. She sat on her bed and panted, glaring at the imposter posing to be her best friend.

"I know this is hard for you, Sam, but you have to believe me!" he pleaded.

She shook her head. "You're not real…you're not Danny."

"And why not?" he nearly snapped.

"Because he's dead! I watched them bury him a week and a half ago! He's been dead for two weeks!"

All Danny could do was stare in shock. He had only been in Heaven a few hours…how long had he been out? Time moved differently there, but could two weeks have really passed already?

"You look like that's news to you." Sam glared. "It was all over the news. It was kind of hard to miss!"

Danny looked down sadly. "I just…didn't know I had been gone that long."

Sam studied the ghosts face. He _looked_ like Danny. But so had many of the other shape shifting ghosts she had encountered before. But something in those green eyes made her say her next statement. "If you're Danny, prove it."

Danny simply looked at her.

Sam laughed a sort of hysterical laugh that made Danny cringe. "Change, ghost. Turn human."

Another sad look crossed Danny's features. "I can't..."

Sam shoved his hands away. "Then you aren't Danny."

Danny stepped back and looked at Sam. He hated the look she was giving him. She thought he was some evil being bent on tearing down her remaining mental stability. No, he would prove her wrong. He stood straighter. "We've gone to the same schools all our life."

Sam waved it off. "And? Everyone knows that."

"You had a secret crush on Tucker when we first met you."

Sam looked mortified. "Coincidence." She finally said after a few moments.

"When we were little I called you Sammy in front of everyone. You told me you hated that name, but later, in private, you told me it was ok to call you that. So now, as long as it's just us, I call you Sammy." Danny said as a last ditch effort.

Sam looked at the ghost. No one knew that. Yeah, some people called her Sammy, but she always yelled at them and protested. Danny was the _only_ one she let call her that and only between the two of them. Her face showed recognition. "Danny…is it really you?" her voice sounded hopeful.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." He said exasperated. Sam stood from her bed and walked slowly to him. It was Danny in looks alright. Well except for the brighter glow that seemed the light the room. His voice was the same, personality too. It had to be him.

Sam enveloped Danny in a hug and cried into his shoulder. She didn't care how cold he felt, she just wanted to hold him and pray this wasn't another sick dream of hers. "How is this possible, Danny. We buried you."

Danny pulled back and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, it's a lot to explain. But first and foremost is, well, I'm not human."

Sam just stared.

Danny sighed. "I told you I couldn't transform."

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's because I'm full ghost."

…

"WHAT?!"

Danny covered his ears. "Calm down!"

"You're not human anymore?!" she asked softer but still urgently.

"Right. I wasn't allowed to return as a human." Danny explained.

"Not allowed? By who?"

"Well," Danny started. "By uh…God." He shrugged.

Silence.

…

"Sam-" Danny was cut off by Sam's hysterical laughter. He rolled his eyes and waited for her to finish. As she calmed down Danny lifted a brow at her. She held up a finger and began to laugh again, this time holding her stomach. After a minute she held her sides and panted. "Ok, now I'm done."

Danny shook his head. He wasn't mad at her. He didn't believe it at first either. Besides, this was the real Sam and he loved it.

"Look, I understand your hesitance to accept it. I didn't believe it either. At least till I had wings…" he added as an afterthought but Sam caught it.

"Wait, what?" Sam stepped forward. "You had wings?"

Danny sighed. "Yes. I was in Heaven and met an Angel named Ambriel. He explained a lot to me and apparently…I'm in God's favor."

Sam couldn't help it and laughed again. Danny slapped his forehead with his palm and waited once again for the hysterical girl to calm down. "I know this is amusing you, Sammy, but it's really not funny." He was beginning to lose his patience.

Sam panted a bit before sighing herself. "If I didn't believe you were Danny, I would figure you were pulling my leg. Which, I still think you are." She added.

Danny rolled his eyes. "There really is no way to prove to you I was there. I don't have the robe or the wings and Ambriel can't just show up. So you're gonna have to trust me on this."

Sam shrugged. "Ok, I trust you."

"But do you believe me?"

Sam shook her head. "Sorry, Danny, but no. I believe _you_ believe that's what happened, so who am I to say it didn't? I'll go along with it though."

Danny flopped down on Sam's bed. "All I know is," he started. "I'm not human, I've been given a second chance and there is _no way_ I can tell my parents."

Sam furrowed her brow. "Why not?"

"Sammy, they'll never believe me. They're science oriented, your not and look at the way you reacted. Besides, without transforming I can't prove anything."

Sam sat on the bed next to Danny. "Look, Danny, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but you have to think about telling them at some point. They're taking it pretty bad, especially your mom." She placed a hand on his cold cheek and turned his head to face her.

"I know." He looked down. "I saw them before coming here. I just…wanted to see their faces."

Sam couldn't argue that. It didn't matter what Danny went through in the two weeks he was gone, he was sure to miss his family. A question came to mind she couldn't help but ask. "Have you told Tuck yet?"

Danny looked back at her and smiled sheepishly. "No…I came to you first."

Sam placed her hands in her lap and concentrated on them. She was touched to say the least. To think that Danny would want to tell her first…that made her happy. "Why me?" she asked out of curiosity.

Danny shrugged. "Something I felt. Something told me you needed me most, so I came here to wake you up."

Sam smiled. He sure knew how to be sweet. She sighed inwardly, however. Even knowing that here he was, Danny, right in front of her, seemingly a survivor of death, she still couldn't gather the courage to tell him she loved him. _I'm so stupid!_ She berated herself.

Danny smiled back at Sam and then noticed the time. He chuckled. "It's almost four am, how about you get some sleep?"

Sam yawned, suddenly realizing at his words that she was, indeed, tired. She crawled back into her bed and pulled the covers over her. Danny smiled at her and walked to the other side of the room, sitting in a reclining chair. Sam cocked her head. "Going to sleep as well?"

He shook his head. "Not tired. I'll just sit here for now."

Sam raised a brow and shrugged. "Suit yourself; just don't watch me all night. It's kind of creepy." She commented before lying her head down. "Night, Danny."

"Good night, Sammy."

Danny waited a few minutes until Sam's breathing evened out indicating she was sleeping. He stood and walked to her nightstand. Something on it had caught his eye earlier. At the stand, he picked up an object and examined it. He gasped lightly when he realized its contents.

It was medication. This one was an anti-depressant--Paxil. He picked up another one. Valium? Wasn't that for seizures? He glanced at Sam. She looked rough enough to have them, but he doubted it. He picked up another. "Acepromazine?" he breathed. "That's a sedative." The last bottle was a powerful painkiller, Oxycodine. (AN: I think I spelled that right…working at an animal hospital gets you to know all sorts of drugs lol.)

He placed the bottles back on the stand. Sam was never one to take meds. She hated the idea of headache meds for Pete's sake! He saddened. She must have really been in bad shape to need all of these, and take them willingly. He stroked her hair before heading back to the recliner. One thing was for sure, she needed his help.

--

**Sorry if this was boring lol. I tried to make it interesting or sad or comical from Sam's reactions but yea…hard to do that when it's *squints at clock* 5 am. Oh well. Stuck at work for 3 more hours. Might as well start chapter 5!**

**The animal hospital has its advantages definitely. Lol but I'm not sure knowing different kinds of meds, what they do, and if they work on humans is a good thing lol. Valium stops seizures in dogs, and it's used on humans too. Although, taken in high doses it mellows you out much like a sedative. I believe its spelled Acepromazine. It IS a sedative. Not sure if it's actually used on humans…just can't remember a human sedative at the moment. And Oxycodine…I don't know if it's spelled right. But my dad had surgery a while back and got a really powerful painkiller called Oxy-something. I think it was Oxycodine.**

**K enough of my rants! Thanks for reading!**

**Next time: Sam goes to school, Tucker nearly has a heart attack, and Danny tries to cope with one very paranoid Goth girl.**


	5. Paranoia

**Hey guys. I'm so glad you like this! I'm trying to come up with an idea for a fic that has an extended Danny/Vlad bond type thing lol. I never liked Vlad, but after reading certain stories I find I am quite fond of him and I would love to write a fic that showed his softer side!**

**Disclaimer: Tye-dye chickens with staring problems! I know…I'm random. Don't own DP.**

**Thanks to: Ryuuko1, Chopee, DannyTimmygirl327 and DxS-4EvAH-24-DP for reviewing chapter 2!**

**Ryuuko1, DannyTimmygirl327, DxS-4EvAH-24-DP, XxDragon PhantomxX, Thoughts-of-Nothingness, and some random person named 'Eh' for reviewing Chapter 3!**

**DannyTimmygirl327, DxS-4EvAH-24-DP, FernClaw, and Mystic Black for reviewing chapter 4!**

**You guys should like this chapter. I had fun writing it! Especially the interactions between Danny and Ambriel lol. I know I could have made it better…but I didn't feel like rewriting it…**

**Enjoy chapter five!**

**--**

_I'm already there  
Take a look around  
I'm the sunshine in your hair  
I'm the shadow on the ground  
I'm the whisper in the wind  
And I'll be there until the end  
Can you feel the love that we share  
Oh I'm already there  
Oh I'm already  
There_

"I'm Already There" By Lonestar.

--

**Chapter five: Paranoia**

**~*~**

Her chest rose up and down in a slow rhythmic pattern. She made no noise save for the soft exhale of her breath. The dark purple blanket draped over her shoulder and settled on the bed next to her slender hand. The only light in the room was her alarm clock that cast an eerie red glow on her facial features.

But Danny could see quite well without it.

He found that sleep didn't come to him that night. He simply felt energized. Perhaps it was because he was excited to be back, or perhaps it was left over tension and nervousness from his conversation with Sam, or maybe it was because he had finally realized the full extent as to just how much Sam was really suffering and wanted to protect her. He wasn't really sure. All he knew was he was fully awake gazing at Sam's sleeping form.

It felt sort of stalker-ish to him but he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She was purely beautiful when at peace. Her long lashes, short raven hair all askew, and the way the satin blanket draped seductively across her slender curves…

He blushed. Now who was the pervert? He inwardly berated himself for staring at his best friend like that. She wasn't his; therefore he had no right to. Not to mention he suddenly found himself feeling quite guilty every time his thoughts wandered in that direction.

_Stupid religion_.

Once again he found himself feeling guilty after that statement. He briefly gazed upward and silently apologized to who ever might be listening to him. He turned his gaze to the floor and lightly chuckled to himself afterward. Oh, how his views had changed so suddenly. But he supposed dying, waking up to an Angel, finding wings attached to you, and finding out you're in favor with God would change your views a bit.

He glanced at the clock for the hundredth time that night. It was almost 6:30. Sam would be waking up soon. Would she remember? He furrowed his brows in Sam's direction. He certainly hoped so.

As if on cue, the clock clicked over to 6:30 and the annoying beeping sound resounded through the air. Danny clamped a hand over his ears. _Since when has my hearing been this good?_ He asked himself.

Sam reached out a hand from under the covers and pressed a button on the clock, stopping the noise to Danny's relief. Sam shifted a little in the bed and stilled. Danny lifted a single brow. Shouldn't she be getting up for school? He walked over to the savior of his hearing and stared at her face. Getting that someone's-watching-me feeling, Sam popped an eye open to see Danny.

Her Danny.

Her eyes popped open and she set up straight, her eyes never leaving the white-haired boy. He seemed to tense. In reality he sort of expected this reaction. He braced himself for another screaming session. But it never came.

"I-it wasn't a d-dream?" Sam's voice was soft and trembling. She looked about the room as if deciding what to do. After a few tense moments she looked back at Danny with a large grin. He visibly relaxed and smiled back. Sam was never one to throw herself at him in excitement, although last night was the exception, so she simply continued to smile at him.

She was shaken from her smile, however, when Danny asked his question. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

It was Sam's turn to stiffen. She chuckled nervously and fiddled with her hands. "Yeah, I-I was just, you know…getting a few extra minutes." She grinned at him again and upon seeing his skeptical look her grin faded.

She sighed and threw the covers off of her. Heading to her dresser without a word, she sifted through a few drawers, pulled out some personal items, a black tee and a familiar plaid skirt. She turned around a raised a brow at Danny. Not getting a response, she cleared her throat. He blinked at her. "What?"

Sam rolled her violet eyes. "I need to get dressed." She said pointedly. It was Danny's turn to lift a brow. "You have a bathroom." He stated.

Sam sighed. He was right about that, but she always preferred to change in her room. Her mother called it obsessive compulsive or something like that. Sam just never changed in there.

Giving up, Danny phased through the roof. He floated invisibly above her house grumbling to himself with his arms crossed over his chest. What was it with girls anyway? She couldn't just change in the bathroom. He sighed and let his arms fall. That was Sam. That was just who she was.

And he loved her.

He smiled. But then the thoughts of her changing came back to his mind. He briefly toyed with the idea of popping back in and scaring her, but that wouldn't be very nice. Not to mention it was starting to bring up impure thoughts again. He involuntarily shivered and immediately knew why. He sent a fearful glance to the clouds. "Ok, ok, I'll stop! Sorry…" he mumbled.

He sighed. Why hadn't he had this shivering feeling before when thinking things like this? He concluded it had to be because of Ambriel. The Angel was 'protecting' him and 'guiding' him and keeping him out of trouble. Danny guffawed and rolled his green eyes. _Just like that tightwad._

Danny was snapped back into reality when it felt as if something slapped him hard across the face. He looked around bewildered but found nothing out of the ordinary…

He scratched his head and shrugged. He still wasn't sure what it was but it didn't bother him at the moment. He was still trying to figure out why Ambriel felt the need to torture him so. _Just like him to play tricks. Dirty cheater_. He thought.

The slap hit him again and this time Danny flew around Sam's house. Once again he found nothing. _What the hell is hitting me?_ He immediately regretted that thought when another hard blow seemingly connected with his face. He growled and held his now sore cheek. It clicked in his mind. Now he understood.

It was Ambriel. Every time Danny thought something rude about the Angel, or cursed, the Angel somehow knocked it out of him. Danny looked up and knew that somewhere up there was a grinning Angel having a little too much fun. Danny bit back a few unpleasant thoughts and was relieved when nothing struck him senseless.

He turned his attention back to Sam. She had to be done by now. He phased through the ceiling to find Sam, was, indeed, finished. She was in the process of packing a few of her things in her backpack. She smiled at Danny and began to walk out of the room when she stopped. She turned around and gazed at Danny, startling him with the fear in her eyes.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked softly as if afraid of the answer.

Danny shook his head. "What would I do, Sammy? I'm dead; I can't just walk into class like nothing happened."

Sam looked down at her floor. Something flashed across her face that made Danny cringe. She was nervous, unsure, anxious, and…afraid? Afraid of what?

"What's wrong, Sam?" Danny asked, although something in the back of his mind told him he already knew the answer.

"I-it's nothing." She lied. "I was just hoping you'd go."

Danny watched her carefully, analyzing her emotions and body language. He knew she was lying to him. She could never lie to him well. "Why did you want me to go?" he finally asked.

Sam's eyes met Danny's and sadness flickered in them. "I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what, Sammy?"

Whatever resolve Sam had crumbled. "I-I can't…" She fell to her knees, prompting Danny to rush to her side. "I can't lose you again." She said barely audible. "I'm not….s-strong enough."

Danny wrapped his arms around the Goth girl. She was still his Sam, but different. The strong resilient Sam he knew was replaced by this fragile teenager. His shoulders drooped. And it was his fault. All his fault…

He died. He protected Jazz and _died_ leaving those he cared about, and those who cared for him behind. He would never know just what Sam went through while he was gone, but he knew it was strong enough to tear down the once invulnerable walls Sam had set up.

And he blamed himself.

"Alright, I'll go." He said finally after some consideration. Sam brightened. "On one condition." He put one finger up making Sam go cross eyed trying to stare at it. "I will not be seen." He said sternly. "I'll be near you at all times, but I will stay invisible."

Sam nodded in agreement. "It would be kind of funny to see the reactions if anyone saw you, though." she chuckled lightly. Danny smiled in return.

--

Tucker sighed and trudged down the street towards Casper High. It was to be another long day. At least this one was sunny, although quite chilled. It was November 18th, just over two weeks since Danny died.

Tucker shivered and pulled his coat closer to him. Snow was in the forecast for tomorrow; it was starting early this year. Too bad it was on a Saturday. No chance of getting out of school then.

The wind whipped and he brought up a hand to hold onto his red hat. The walk seemed to take forever and he felt the cold all the way down to his bones. When walking with Sam and Danny, they always had something to talk about and the time passed quickly, everyone barely even noticing the teeth clattering cold. He sighed again as he came to a stop at a street corner and shut his eyes momentarily. His shoulders drooped and he hung his head. _Why'd you do it, dude?_

The sound of the 'walk' sign prompted him to move forward. It wasn't long till the school came into view and he tramped across the grass towards the entrance. He stopped short, however, when a familiar female figure stood on the steps. A smile graced his lips and he jogged the rest of the way.

"Sam!" he called. Said turned his direction, smiled and waved. Wait…she smiled! She must be feeling better. He reached the Goth girl and patted her shoulder. "Oh, Sam, you sure are a sight for sore eyes!"

Sam seemed to become a little nervous at that comment but Tucker dismissed it. "What brings you here today?" he asked.

"Well, we do have class, Tuck." Sam pointed out.

Little did Tucker know, Danny was floating invisibly next to Sam and the ghost boy was quite confused at Tucker's words. _Sight for sore eyes?_ He made a mental note to ask Sam later.

Tucker raised a questioning brow at Sam but decided not to press the issue. He really didn't want to start another fight with her here, at school, in front of everyone. That was the last thing either of them needed. With a shrug he followed Sam inside the school. They went to their lockers and, since school didn't start for another ten minutes, hung out there and caught up.

Danny didn't reveal himself to Tucker; he decided it just wasn't the time. Perhaps after school, but not now. He floated near Sam so she could constantly feel the cold that radiated from him. If he wandered a bit too far that scared little kitten look appeared on her face and made him feel guilty. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he listened in on his two best friends.

"So how have you been?" Tuck asked.

Sam shrugged. "Same old, same old." She waved her hand.

"Mom annoying you, I guess?"

"You have no idea." Sam gritted her teeth. "My grandmother seems to be the only one who really cares about how I feel!"

Tucker gave Sam a disapproving look. "Sam, you know your parents care. They love you."

"Well they have a funny way of showing it!" Sam nearly shouted.

"Whoa, Sam. Calm it down a notch. You're gonna get people staring." Tucker looked around the hallway and found, to his relief, no one looking in their direction.

Sam balled her fists. "I don't care, Tucker." She whisper-yelled.

Danny looked from the Goth girl to the dark-skinned boy. They were heading towards another debate, only this time Danny had a bad feeling it was for real.

Tucker sighed. "Sam, please calm down. There is no point in starting another fight." He reasoned.

**Another**_ fight?_ Danny thought.

Sam simply glared at Tuck. She didn't know why she was suddenly so angry or why she felt the need to treat Tucker this way, but she did. Maybe those pills weren't so good for her…

Danny left Sam's side momentarily to fly around Tuck and examine him. Dark bags under his eyes, loose fitting shirt, struggling a bit more with his backpack than usual, and he had a haggard look to him. He surmised Tuck was having a much harder time than his attitude let on.

Sam felt the cold air leave her and her angry glare turned into a look of panic. Tucker raised a brow. Why did she look so scared all of a sudden?

Danny noticed this too and instantly flew to her side. He placed a chilling hand on her shoulder and she visibly calmed at the touch. "I'm right here." He whispered softly to her ear.

She smiled inwardly and looked back at Tucker. Her calmer demeanor put him at ease and he shook his head playfully. "Come on, we'll be late if we don't get moving."

Danny followed them into the class room and floated to a sitting position next to Sam. Most students noticed a sudden drop in temperature but attributed it to the cold air outside. "Did someone open a window?" Kwan asked, visibly shivering.

"No. I think it's coming from the vents." Star offered.

Paulina groaned. "This cold air is so bad for my skin." She pulled out a mirror. "It dries it out. That's so gross!"

Danny rolled his eyes. What did he ever see in her? Well, besides the fact that she was pretty…

Mr. Lancer walked in and the class hushed. His eyes scanned the students and stopped on Sam. She shrunk on her seat.

"It's nice to see you, Ms. Manson. Glad you could join us." She nodded and looked down at her desk to avoid the unwanted stares.

Mr. Lancer went on with the lecture and the students turned back around. Danny gazed inquisitively at the Goth girl. Why was everyone so surprised to see her?

The lecture droned on and one by one the teens lost interest, each finding their own sort of amusement. Dash yawned, Valerie doodled and Tucker struggled to keep his head up. Paulina and Star passed notes and other students were involved in their own tasks. Reading books, texting, staring goo-goo eyed at Paulina and Danny even caught one picking his nose. _Ew…_

Finally the bell rang. Most of the students packed up and went to another class, a few stayed put. Sam and Tucker were among those who stayed. They had 2nd period with Mr. Lancer; World History.

This class passed just as slowly with students once again dozing off, day dreaming, or sketching. Finally the bell rang and it was lunch time.

(AN: I am following how my High school was. Well mostly. Not sure how your guy's high school worked, but in mine we only had 4 periods, each 86 minutes long. We had 4 separate lunches, one for those before 3rd period (Have lunch then 3rd period), two in the middle (have 30 mins of class, lunch, then an hour, or an hour, lunch, 30 mins), and one after (3rd period, then lunch), but I am keeping just one lunch in this story.)

Sam and Tucker packed their things and headed out of class.

"Ms. Manson." Mr. Lancer stopped Sam just as she reached the door. She gulped.

"Yes, Mr. Lancer?" She knew she was caught. She was so going to hear about this later from Danny.

The bald teacher handed her a folder. "Tucker informed me he was unable to give you notes or homework, although he left out the details, so here are notes, class assignments and the homework you missed these past two weeks."

Danny's jaw dropped. _Two weeks?!_

Sam gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, thanks, Mr. Lancer!" she took the folder.

Mr. Lancer's stern gaze softened. "I trust you are doing alright?"

She nodded. He smiled. "Good. I was beginning to worry about you, Ms. Manson. There isn't a whole lot in the folder; I was going easy on the students. This…kind of thing isn't easy to overcome." His voiced lowered. Then, regaining his façade, "So, I trust this work will be done by Monday. Next week, we're picking back up the pace."

"Yes, Mr. Lancer." Sam smiled gratefully and walked out. Tucker had gone on ahead saying something about it was meatloaf day and all the good pieces of meatloaf would be gone if he didn't get there early. Sam sighed knowing exactly what was coming.

She felt a cold hand on her shoulder, which she expected, the harsh words, however, she did not. "Sammy, what were you thinking?!"

She whipped her head around. Only Danny's head was visible. His gaze made her want to shrink.

She mentally slapped herself. That wasn't her! She wasn't afraid of anything, even her best friend! She glared back, obviously surprising the ghost boy with her sudden change in attitude. "_Maybe_ I was thinking I had lost my best friend,_ maybe_ I was thinking I'd have to sit there and stare at his _**empty**_ seat, or just _maybe_ I was thinking how much life _**sucked**_ and how much I wanted to see him!" her voice raised an octave on the last sentence.

Danny stepped back. He hadn't thought of that…He hung his head and berated himself. How could he have been so stupid? He saw from her appearance and the presence of the pills just how hard she was taking his death, so why hadn't skipping school crossed his mind? He really was clueless and naïve.

He looked up at Sam with sad eyes. "I'm sorry…" he went completely invisible again and waited for Sam to keep moving. Her glare faltered and she sighed. "I'm sorry too." She breathed before continuing down the hallway towards the cafeteria.

Instead of floating, Danny opted to walk. He watched Sam from behind. Her hair bounced lightly on her shoulders, arms moved rhythmically in time with her steps, skirt swayed back and forth against her thighs…Danny gulped, but then the cold shiver ran down his spine. He glared at the ceiling but kept his thoughts in check. He really didn't need to be invisibly slapped and sent flying into a locker or something.

The pair made it to the cafeteria and spotted Tucker at their usual table. With Danny's presence, the room's temperature dropped slightly, but noticeably, and a few students wrapped their jackets closer to themselves.

Tucker waved a hand in greeting to Sam and began to shovel the meatloaf into his mouth. Sam wrinkled her nose but soon proceeded to laugh at his antics and joined her African American friend at the table. Danny took an invisible seat across from them.

"You seem to be in a lighter mood today." Tucker commented through mouthfuls. Sam merely shrugged in response.

The boy looked around suddenly as if something struck him. "Did it get colder in here?" Sam's panicked face made his brow furrow in confusion.

"U-uh, no! I-I didn't notice anything! I'm perfectly fine!" she said quickly and waved her hands.

Tucker placed his fork on his plate and looked at the Goth girl seriously. "Ok, now I _know_ something's up."

Sam suddenly found herself very interested in her hands and fidgeted in her seat. But just as she was about to open her mouth and spill everything to Tucker, Danny stopped her. She heard his barely audible whisper. "Not now, Sammy. After school."

Sam took a deep breath and returned Tucker's stare. "I'll tell you after school, Tuck. I promise."

Tucker gazed into her eyes for a few moments before shaking his head and returning to his food. "Alright." He said. "If that's what you want, I trust you."

Sam relaxed a little, and even though she couldn't see him, she gave Danny a small smile.

--

**Ok so there you have it. There was supposed to be quite a bit more to this chapter, but as it turns out, I had enough material for during school that it made a whole chapter in itself!**

**I'm pretty sick right now so I'm slowing down on the writing. Although by the time you read this it, I will probably be better. I'm about two chapters ahead of the story and I'm trying to keep it that way. Although, it'll probably lag towards the end. I'll explain later.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Next time: School is over and now Danny has to convince Tucker that he is who he claims to be. Danny realizes to full extent just what being full ghost means and the inevitable breakdown ensues. (Yes I love torturing him).**


	6. Denial

**Hey guys! Chapter 6! Yay! I'm really sorry for the later update. End of semester so I had finals and registering and all that jazz. Not to mention Christmas! I've already started chapter 7 so I am hoping the next update won't be too far away. I kinda ran out of ideas for this chapter so…I hope it's not to…weird.**

**Thanks to: ****KHwhitelion, greenmint, ****XSuperXStarX****, ****DannyTimmygirl327****, ****Anthiena****, ****GwenFan22****, FernClaw, and Mystic Black for reviewing chapter 5!**

**  
And for ideas of my other stories in progress (tho not posted), take a look at my profile.  
**

**Disclaimer: Error, keyboard not attached. Press F1 to continue. ^_^ Don't own DP!**

**Ok warning ahead of time: This is a sad depressing Chapter. Let's just say…everything kind of hits home with Danny. Enjoy!**

**Songfic chapter! (Song in italics)**

**--**

_I'm not supposed to be scared of anything, but I don't know where I am.  
I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted and nobody understands.  
I'm trying hard to breathe now but there's no air in my lungs.  
There's no one here to talk to and the pain inside is making me numb._

I try to hold this under control.  
They can't help me 'cause no one knows.

"Changes" by 3 Doors Down

--

**Chapter six: Denial**

**~*~**

All in all, the school day had been pretty uneventful. No ghost attacks, no bullies, and Sam and Tucker were getting along ok. Danny floated behind them, but the time of year didn't make them notice his chilling presence, much to his comfort.

As they neared Sam's house and Tucker was about to split off, she stopped him. Biting her lip, she grabbed a hold of his shirt. Tucker turned around giving her a quizzical look. "Is something wrong?" he asked, spotting the nervous spark in her eyes.

Sam shook her head and gave him a lopsided smile. She was nervous, that much was true, but she knew she had to tell Tucker. There was no other way around this; he needed to know, not only for his sake, but for Danny's as well. Her emotions swelled within her, making her more anxious and stressed by the minute. Gulping, she swallowed her fears stared her friend straight in the eyes. "Would you like to come over?"

Tucker looked at his friend in surprise. Ever since Danny passed she refused to allow anyone in her house, even him. "Sure!" he smiled brightly.

The pair, or rather trio, entered Sam's house and went to her room. Tucker noticed the cold immediately.

Sam took her jacket off and placed it over the back of her computer chair. She turned around to see Tucker tucking his closer. She raised a brow. "Take a load off, stay a while."

The dark skinned boy shook his head. "I know you like your room cold, but Sam, this is down right nippy!" Sam chuckled at his choice of words.

Her laugh halted abruptly, however, when she remembered her purpose for bringing him here. She felt the feather light touch of Danny's fingers on her cheek as reassurance.

Tucker noticed Sam's sudden change in behavior and took a few steps towards her, "You ok, Sam?"

The Goth girl took a deep breath and stared at Tucker straight in the eyes. Her look was dead serious. He stiffened.

"Tucker, what I am about to tell you is very important. You can't tell anyone." Her eyes narrowed.

Tucker gulped. "Sure…"

"This is going to be hard to believe, I didn't myself at first, but you have to try." She bit her lip and sent a glance in the direction she knew Danny was. Sensing his approval, she continued. "Tucker…last night…I thought it was a dream. But I woke up this morning and it wasn't."

"What wasn't, Sam?" Tucker placed a hand on her shoulder concerned for his friend.

"Danny, Tucker. He…he's here."

Tucker's face took on a neutral look. After a few moments he went into hysterics and laughed holding his stomach. Sam glared. "I'm serious, Tucker!"

"Y-yea…right!" he said between gasps. At this point Danny became visible and floated next to Sam.

Tucker stopped laughing and stared in awe. It certainly _looked_ like Danny, but it couldn't be. Danny was dead. He was buried over a week ago. He glared. Who would be so cruel as to impersonate his best friend? And Sam! Was she in on it, or was she so broken that it fooled her?

He glared at the imposter, his harsh stare sending chills down the dead boy's spine. Danny had never seen Tucker look so angry. "You!" he pointed. "Who are you? Why are you impersonating my best friend?!"

Danny waved his hands in defense. "I'm not, Tuck! It's really me!"

"I highly doubt that. How dare you…" the dark skinned boy shook with rage, his fists now balled at his sides. "You show up here pretending to be Danny. Sam is devastated! How can you hurt her like that?! HOW DARE YOU!" he launched himself at Danny.

Danny was surprised to say the least, but he held his ground. He would not run or fight Tucker, nothing good would come from it. He simply allowed Tucker to tackle him to the ground and lay there as Tucker wrapped his hands around his neck. It wouldn't do anything anyway—he didn't breathe.

"Tucker! Get off him!" Sam yelled, reaching for him. He shoved her off and shook Danny's form. The ghost boy took the punishment. "You're gonna choke him!" Sam shouted.

A cynical sort of laugh escaped Danny making his two friends stop and stare. "Calm down, Sam. It won't make a difference." His face turned somber and a pained expression flooded his piercing green eyes. "I don't breathe."

Tucker released his grip but remained pinning the ghost to the floor. He didn't struggle at all, confusing Tucker all the more. The two friend's eyes locked and for a brief moment, recognition flashed through Tucker. He knew those eyes…

"When we first met Sam, you had a crush on her for the longest time." Danny said with a sad half grin. Emotions played out on Tucker's face; anger, shock, excitement, and then back to anger. Sam stood wide eyed at the statement. He had liked her too? Tucker punched Danny in the chest. "You promised you wouldn't tell her!"

He got up fuming but when Danny stood and their eyes locked once more, they began to laugh, and embraced each other. Tucker ceased his laughter and spoke into his friend's ear. "Dude, we really thought we lost you forever."

They let go and Danny took a step back. "I know. I didn't expect to come back either. But…" he looked down. "I was given the choice to stay or come back. I came back for you guys." He lifted his head and looked between his two friends warmly. Tucker nodded and Sam smiled.

"But, you know, dude, you could have just transformed to convince me." Tucker joked. He immediately regretted it when he saw the despair on Danny and Sam's faces.

"I can't." Danny started. "I'm not human."

Tucker looked almost panicked. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…oh man." Tucker covered his face with one hand.

Danny held up a hand. "It's ok, Tuck. You didn't know. Besides, even if I'm not human, I can still hang with you guys." He smiled.

Tucker took his hand away and smiled too. "It'll be almost like old times again!" Sam grinned. "We can watch movies in my basement." She added.

Danny nodded. "We can still ghost hunt. And I can still be in school. I'll just follow you around like I did Sam today."

Tucker smiled in realization. "_That's_ why I was so cold today!"

Sam nodded. "I didn't want to go to school without him. So he stayed near me."

Tucker stopped and frowned. "What about Jazz?"

Danny sighed. He _had_ thought about that. He couldn't tell his parents…but maybe Jazz. Maybe she'd understand and be ok with it.

"I could tell her. But we need to figure out how. I really don't want another reaction like what you two had." Danny grimaced.

Tucker raised a questioning brow to Sam who smiled sheepishly. "I kind of threw stuff at him." Tucker chuckled.

"I hit him really hard in the chest once, are you ok?" Sam placed a hand on Danny's chest. She knew he was, it was more of an excuse to be able to be this close to him. She loved the feel of his heartbeat.

"I'm fine, Sam, really." He assured her.

But she paused. Her concerned expression made Danny freeze in his spot. "Sam?" he didn't get a response.

The Goth girl concentrated on the feel of his chest. It was smooth and cold but…nothing else. She moved her hand a little searching for what she knew should be there. The soft thumps were no where to be found. "Sam?" Danny said again, this time more urgently. Tucker looked on in confusion.

"Danny, pull the top of your hazmat down." She commanded ignoring the odd look Danny gave her. His hazmat being a one piece, he pulled the sleeves off and slipped it down off his torso so it hung around his middle. Tucker gasped and Sam simply stared.

He was pale, which was expected, but the blood vessels which were never visible before shown a bright blue color. Sam traced a large one with her finger making Danny shiver lightly. He followed her hand and joined her stare as he gazed at the vessels. They wouldn't be visible if…

Danny knew he was dead, but it never _really_ clicked in his mind. It just rolled of his tongue. Dead. It was simple right?

But it wasn't…

He reached with his hand and laid it over his chest in the spot where Sam had hers previously. Her warmth was still there so his cold one was a huge contrast. His eyes moved wildly about as he tried to find what he sought after.

But it wasn't there.

Even before he died he had a very faint heartbeat in ghost mode. But now…there was nothing. No sound, no soft thump as his heart pressed against his chest at every spasm. His blood vessels were blue because the blood was no longer coursing through them. The cells were dead and made his skin look like a web of blue lines.

A soft patter was the only sound in the room; the patter coming from Danny's tears as they hit the floor. Death just didn't seem that simple to him all of a sudden. There was no pain but…he just wasn't whole. If he could breathe, it would be coming in ragged and uneven breaths.

He covered his face with his hands. His friends were there for him, that much he knew. But this…they couldn't help him with this. No one could. They didn't know what it was like to be dead…truly dead. They wouldn't be able to say anything that could comfort him right now.

Sam placed a tentative hand on his shoulder but it was shrugged off. Without a word Danny turned intangible and phased through her roof and flew away from her house…his friends.

Sam and Tucker exchanged glances. Both coming to the same conclusion, they sat down and waited. They couldn't offer Danny what he needed, so they would wait for him to return.

Danny, not knowing where to go, flew around the city. His tears flowed freely, blurring his vision. His sadness was mixed with confusion and anger. He wasn't sure why he was confused, but he knew why he was angry. He was only 16…what did he do to deserve to die? Young people weren't supposed to die.

In a daze, he landed in an alley hidden behind a dumpster and slammed his fists against the brick wall of the building. He never felt so alone…not like he did now. He looked up and glared at the sky. Why kind of help were Angels if they let you suffer like this?

"You said you'd be there for me!" he shouted into the Heavens. He hit the wall again. "But you're not." He lowered his head, defeated.

_I waited for You today,  
But You didn't show.  
No. No. No_

He'd heard somewhere when he was little that if you believed in God you would always feel his presence, or if you didn't, you would when you needed to most. Well, he had proof God existed and yet he felt empty. A deep void filled him and it didn't seem to go away.

He turned and placed his back against the wall, slumping down to a sitting position. "You've left me alone…I don't know how to deal with this…"

_I needed You today,  
So where did you go?_

He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Once again he gazed to the sky, but he received no answer to his pleas.

_You told me to call,  
Said You'd be there,  
And though I haven't seen You,  
Are You still there?_

The tears came stronger. His bloodshot eyes shifted and rested upon the concrete. The feeling of loneliness came in another wave as the silence continued. His heart ached. He had been a good person, right? Even before he got his powers he was always nice and polite and loved his family and friends dearly. After he got his powers he put his life in danger to protect Amity Park and the people in it, even if they didn't want him there.

He head fell into his lap and he covered his head with his arms. He sobbed with such ferocity his body shook. He screamed. He screamed in sorrow…in anger…and he screamed in lonesomeness.

"I'm alone…and I'm scared." He said unsteadily. "I don't want to be this way…"

_I cry out with no reply and  
I can't feel You by my side._

Danny's head lifted as he remembered something Ambriel told him when he was in Heaven. _"If you simply need someone to talk to, pray and I will listen."_

Realization struck the young boy. He had never actually asked a question or said anything that would need a direct answer. Ambriel was simply listening…He looked up for a third time and sighed as his loneliness seemed to ebb away.

_So I'll hold tight to what I know,  
You're here and I'm never alone._

A small smile played on his lips. He may not be able to see the Angel, but he was there. Just like earlier when Danny had a few slip ups, Ambriel wasn't going to let it go unpunished. The Angel knew exactly what Danny was going through. Well, sort of. The Angel was dead, but he had never actually lived on Earth to know what it was like to die and loose that part of yourself. But Danny knew…when all else failed…Ambriel was there for him.

_We cannot separate  
'Cause You're part of me,  
and though You're invisible  
I'll trust the unseen._

The young ghost stood and smiled at the clouds. His emptiness was starting to ease and he felt light hearted for the moment. He turned back towards the direction of Sam's house. His friends would be worried about him. He smiled broader. His friends…he truly would be lost without them.

_So I'll hold tight to what I know  
You're here and I'm never alone._

As he flew towards Sam and Tucker, a voice came to him in his mind. It was a calming gentle voice and he instantly recognized it. _"I'm always here, young one."_

With a sense of calm, renewed vigor and a light hearted spirit, he raced to meet his friends. At least he had them.

Ok, so he was dead. He could live with that.

--

**Ugh…if this was boring, I'm really sorry. This chapter had quite a bit of religious-y stuff in it. If that offends you…well then I guess sorry. I'm a Christian at heart so this doesn't bother me. I needed to establish a better relationship with Danny and Ambriel though, and this was the idea that came to me. This was also a bit shorter than my previous chapters. Sorry about that!**

**The song is "Never Alone" by Barlow Girl. It's very good actually. Even friends of mine who aren't Christian love it. It's piano at first but then picks up as rock. I can play it on the drums!!**

**OK enough is enough. Review please, and be kind!**

**Next time: The trio makes plans to tell Jazz about Danny's return. When Danny tries to execute the plan, however, he's in for a surprise.**


	7. Problems of the Halfa Sort

**Hello there! Yet another chapter from the mind of, well, me! I hope these last few chapters haven't been boring….I hate boring. **

**Sorry for the lateness! College wiped me out and this chapter was only on the laptop which is currently sucking. Not to mention I sprained my neck severely so I've been recovering.**

**Disclaimer: Eight legged cacti of pointy-ness! I honestly don't know where I come up with this stuff. A friend of the family's dropped me on my head in a McDonald's parking lot when I was little…that would explain a lot…I don't own DP!**

--

_Cast me gently  
Into morning  
For the night has been unkind.  
Take me to a  
A place so holy,  
That I can wash this from my mind;  
The memory of choosing not to fight._

"Answer" by Sarah McLachlan

--

**Chapter seven: Problems of the Halfa Sort**

**~*~**

"How do you think Jazz will react?" Sam questioned Danny.

He had returned over an hour ago in a much lighter mood. Sam and Tucker exchanged looked but never questioned their ghost friend. Danny never mentioned it either meaning he had no intentions of telling them exactly what happened just yet. So they left it be knowing he would tell them if he wished when the time came.

Danny put his hand on his chin in thought. "I'm not sure, really. She knows a lot about ghosts, but that doesn't guarantee she's going to have a better reaction than you two." He smirked.

"Hey! You would have flipped too!" Tucker defended himself, placing his arms over his chest in a huff.

"I guess you're right." Danny agreed, plopping himself onto Sam's bed. Tucker was in her computer chair and Sam had taken a seat at the edge of her bed.

"Although I highly doubt she'll pin you to the floor." Sam said dryly, a glare directed towards Tucker.

The dark-skinned boy rolled his eyes. "Look, we buried him almost two weeks ago. Not to mention, you took it really hard. I thought he was some imposter trying to hurt you!"

"Aww, I didn't know you cared so much." Sam quipped sardonically.

Danny sat up, sending Sam a 'what-the-heck-what-that-for' look. She shrugged but Danny shook his head. "No shrinking away from this one. Something obviously happened between you two while I was gone."

Tucker snorted, his arms still folded over his torso. "Ask _her_."

Danny raised a brow at the Goth girl who was currently glaring daggers at the boy in her chair. He cleared his throat expectantly but Sam never acknowledged him. He glared, quickly becoming angry. "Spill it." He said low and menacingly.

Sam turned and stared at Danny in shock. He had never used that tone with her before. Realizing his tone was a bit harsh, Danny softened his glare. "You guys are best friends. Don't tell me that you guys can't get along when I'm not here." He explained.

The Goth girl lowered her gaze to the bed. That was all the ghost boy needed. "You guys really can't get along without me?" he breathed incredulously.

Tucker nodded. Sam remained with her gaze on the bed. She couldn't look at Danny straight in the eye. Why was it so hard to admit that her and Tuck had a few fights? It wasn't like they never had their debates and squabbles.

But this was different.

And it was her fault.

It was more than simple 'squabbles'. They had full blown fights; screaming matches that would rival cheerleaders during a football game. One fight she remembered all too well. She had actually hit Tucker. After the fact, she knew it had been wrong. She never really wanted to hit him. In her anger, she lost her self control and decked him. Luckily the bruise was gone from his cheek.

Her depression changed her. She cut herself off from everyone, family, friends, and teachers. Whatever it took to be alone. Tucker constantly tried to get her out of her room, to do things to get her mind off of Danny. She should have appreciated the fact that he wanted to help her; wanted to comfort her. But she didn't. She had been too self absorbed to even see that Tucker was hurting just as bad.

Sam covered her face with her hands, scaring her friends with her sudden tears. "I-I'm so s-sorry, Tuck." She stuttered barely above a whisper, her voice slightly muffled behind her hands.

Tucker was taken aback by her sudden apology. He expected her to fight and refuse that anything had actually happened. He stood and walked to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Danny's gaze softened and he removed Sam's hands from her face. "For what, Sam?"

The girl in question took a few shuddering breaths to try and calm herself down. _What am I doing?_ She berated herself. _I'm stronger than this!_

Finally calmed, she looked up at Tucker. "I was so mean to you. You only meant to help me." Sam found the hands in her lap fascinating. "I was too selfish to care." She kicked her foot into her bed frame for emphasis. "Too obsessed with my own pain, I failed to see that you were hurting too. All those things I said…I never really meant them…and…I'm sorry…for hitting you."

Danny stared at his friend stunned. "Hitting…you _hit_ Tucker?" his tone was more humorous than accusing.

Tucker chuckled lightly. "Yea. A pretty good one too, bruised my cheek for days."

"So, apology accepted?" she smiled shyly up at Tucker. He nodded. "Apology accepted." He confirmed.

Danny smiled at his best friends before remembering their conversation about Jazz. "So how should I tell my sister?"

Tucker sighed and took a seat on the floor in front of the bed. Jazz was another topic they hadn't discussed with Danny yet. He would find out sooner or later…Tucker just hoped Danny wouldn't kill him… "Well it would be a good idea if you guys were alone. You can't let your parents see you."

"Thank you, Dr. Obvious…" Danny said dryly.

Sam snickered. "I think the best way is to simply just reveal yourself and explain. Stalking her might freak her out. She's been getting better at detecting ghosts."

Danny nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

--

With the plan settled, Danny left Sam's around nine that night and flew towards Fenton Works. The crisp night air didn't bother him even as the low fog formed ice crystals on his hazmat suit and in his hair. He stopped and floated just above his house.

He had taken the long route and added in a few turns so hopefully his parents were asleep by now. Glancing around he noted the moon, half visible, low in the sky. Its dim light cast a soft glow on the trees and roofs of the buildings. He took a deep breath and floated slowly to Jazz's window.

Her light was off, but a muted radiance lit up her curtains. Danny surmised it was her computer. That meant she might still be awake. He would talk to her regardless, but he would rather not have to wake her and possibly cause a stir that alarmed his parents.

With a gulp he placed his hands against the brick and froze, his nerves getting the better if him. The 'what-ifs' ran through his head. What if she freaked and his parents heard her? What if she refused to believe him? What if she broke down in front of him? Could he handle seeing her like that? He doubted it.

Now shaking, he began to think better of this plan. It would be too much to bear to see his sister break down. She was always the optimist and ever cheerful, despite her problems. He wanted to remember her that way. Closing his eyes, he floated backwards a few feet. _I can't do this…_

Turning, he started a slow pace back to Sam's, only to stop after a few yards. He balled his fists and glared at the moon. Why was it so hard? Jazz needed to know he was still here. He shook his head, purely disgusted with himself for even considering the thought of backing out. Turning back around, he closed the distance quickly and again placed his hands on the brick siding.

_I'm __**not**__ turning back. _He thought to himself, determination cascading off his very form. _There is no giving up, no dwindling on the past. I'm dead, but still here. I need to make the most of it._

Without a second thought, without a moment's hesitation, without any time to doubt himself further, he turned himself intangible and forced himself through the wall. On the other side, the familiar sight of his sister's room greeted him. The soft purple walls glowed dimly in the white bath of the computer monitor.

And there, sitting in her computer chair, was Jazz, completely focused on the computer and the task at hand. Danny felt his heart wrench, oh how he missed her and her nosey ways.

His eyes caught site of her research on the screen. It was an article, the title of which read **Beyond: Ghosts and the Afterlife**. Danny shook his head and smiled warmly. It was just like her to research the afterlife after he passed on.

Danny rubbed his right arm nervously before floating closer to his red-headed sister. He wasn't at all surprised when she felt the sudden drop in temperature around her; her body tensed, her eyes began to dart from right to left, and he could hear her breath come in ragged drags. He waited, knowing she would turn around to further investigate the sudden chill.

Although it was merely seconds, it seemed like minutes to Danny and he became increasingly anxious as Jazz began to turn around. The creak of her chair was soft, her hair whipped around her in a flurry of movement, and time seemed to stop as her turquoise eyes finally came to rest on her dead brother.

Danny creased his brow in worry when at first, Jazz didn't respond. A small look of surprise lit her features, but she made no move, no sound, and no attempt to scream. He expected her reaction to be of fright, or denial like Sam's and Tucker's. But what Jazz did completely astounded Danny.

The older sibling slowly stood, using the chair's arms for support. Her look of surprise turned into one of wonder and awe. She took a few steps forward and Danny had to fight to urge to turn and run. He gulped as she reached a hand forward, her fingers gently tapping his cheek as if testing to see if he was really there, before cupping it completely. His fears melted against her warm touch and he lost all semblance of control over his emotions and grabbed her hand, holding it firmly against his cheek, tears beginning to fall and leaving silver streaks against his pale skin.

Jazz smiled as her own tears fell and mixed with Danny's on the floor, mingling and swirling together as if they were dancing an intricate dance at a ball. Without anymore hesitation, Jazz pulled her brother to her and hugged him tightly, Danny eagerly returning the sentiment. "I knew you'd come home."

Those simple words struck Danny's heart and stirred up greater emotions, momentarily leaving him speechless. Never would he have thought this could impact him so much. Gaining some control back, he sniffed and smiled into her hair. "I had to see you."

Jazz pulled away first, leaving Danny slightly disappointed. Her tender smile served to further warm his heart. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to show up." She chuckled lightly.

Danny cocked his head in curiosity. "How did you know I was coming back?"

Jazz smiled again. "Simple ghost logic."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I may have been half-ghost but that doesn't mean I was guaranteed to come back."

"But all the research I've done says that if someone chooses to, they can return as a ghost." His sister furrowed her brow.

The young ghost shrugged. "I was given a choice, but I'm not really sure how it all works."

Jazz clicked her tongue and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You're here now." She walked to her bed and sat down, inviting Danny to do the same. Once her brother was settled, she gave him another small hug to reassure herself he was truly there and she wasn't dreaming again.

"To be quite honest," Danny started, "I wasn't sure how you'd react."

Jazz shrugged. "Well, that's typical."

"I guess I didn't give you enough credit. It's just, when I appeared to Sam and Tucker…well let's just say things didn't go over well." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"How so?"

Danny laughed when the memories of his friends surfaced. "Well, Sam threw her lamp at me, along with a few other hard objects." He rubbed his head remembering the pain. "And Tucker tried to choke me."

Jazz couldn't suppress her laughter. "Ghosts can't be choked; they don't breathe."

"Well, yeah, but he wasn't exactly thinking straight. I mean…it's not everyday your dead best friend appears in front of your eyes."

His sister placed a finger to her lips. "Yes, that would be quite terrifying. Well, if you're not from this family, anyway." She smiled again at her little brother and Danny couldn't help but smile back.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Danny cleared his throat. "You have school tomorrow don't you?"

Jazz nodded. "The teachers have gone easier on me these passed few weeks, but they don't really need to bother. I can handle it."

Danny looked lovingly at his sister. How could she be so strong? She may annoy him a lot, but she was kind, gentle, strong, and always was willing to help anyone. He was proud to be her brother. "Well, I'm sorry for making this so short, but you should probably head to bed. I…was going to be here earlier but I got too nervous." His face flushed.

Jazz giggled. "It's ok, little brother. I know you're here now, so I can see you whenever I want to."

With a final hug, the two parted and Danny flew from his home in high spirits. That had gone much better than he had anticipated. With a burden suddenly lifted, he did loops through the chill air and enjoyed the simple feeling of the wind through his hair.

There was so much he wanted to tell her, but it could be saved for another time. She needed rest. Despite how strong she was, he could tell she was weary, most likely from late nights researching. He sighed and shook his head. "She never doubted I'd come back."

A sudden chill ripped through Danny and he stopped abruptly. A blue mist escaped his open mouth and he groaned. He knew a ghost was near, but now being full ghost, the sensation from the ghost sense was stronger and an icy feeling gripped his body. He shivered despite himself.

"You're supposed to be dead."

The startled voice Danny instantly recognized. The snobbish, uptight accent was a dead give away (excuse the pun). "_Plasmius_." He spat venomously, turning to face his arch-rival.

The older half-ghost composed himself and smirked at Danny. "Why, Daniel, it certainly is a surprise."

"Don't be coy with me, fruit loop." Danny quipped.

"Such harsh words, my boy. I see your attitude hasn't improved in death. I'm actually surprised you came back. The afterlife not good enough for you?" Vlad teased.

Danny's fierce glare could have scared off the most feared of predators. "I was given a choice. I took the obvious one; come back and see my family."

"Yes, but doesn't it hurt being full ghost, knowing full well you can never show your face to your parents ever again?" Vlad's lips pulled back into a toothy grin.

"I don't have to explain anything to you, _Plasmius_. Go home."

"Brave words for a runt. Ok then, enough of these foolish games, hmm?" Vlad waved his hand. "I could simply take you out now, but you've already done that for me. Since you can't show your face to your dear parents, I now have the perfect opportunity to take darling Maddie from that oaf of a husband."

Danny's green eyes flared dangerously. "You wouldn't dare."

"You know full well I would, Daniel." Vlad returned the glare, all humor gone from his tone.

Danny clenched his fists and flexed his jaw. The older half ghost knew exactly how to pinch his nerves. He switched his gaze rapidly between Vlad's two red eyes, his mind working to find a solution to his predicament.

The way he saw it, he had two options; tell his parents who he really was, or try and find a way to keep Vlad from his home. A small part of him refused to believe the fruit loop was capable of murder, but another part screamed at him to not give in to such beliefs. Anyone is capable of anything with the right motive, especially his demented arch-enemy.

He mentally smirked. Mr. Lancer's lectures weren't all lost on him.

Then another thought struck him. Ambriel had told him he could return his human half somehow. If he was able to do that before Vlad had a chance to go after his dad, there would be no need to fight. Although, that didn't solve the problem of him needing to tell his parents what happened. And, if he wasn't able to figure out how to change back and soon, the first choice might be his only option.

Danny's expressions changed from hate, to worry, to realization, and back to worry. Vlad cocked a brow, curiously. Amused, "What it is, boy? Thinking too much for your brain to handle?"

Danny shook himself out of his reverie. "Can it, Plasmius. There is no way I'll let you get anywhere near my parents; even if I have to tell them everything." His green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh please, do you really think they'd believe you? They'd only be furious with you for impersonating their dead son."

"It doesn't matter. As long as it keeps you from them, I'll do it." The teenaged ghost retorted. "You think you're all high and mighty, sitting on the throne with your ego trip. Well it's about time someone deflated your ego, fruit loop."

Vlad glared, balling his fists at his side. Pointing a finger at Danny, "You are in no position to speak to me like that, boy. You may be full ghost, but you still have no idea what your powers can really do." The older half ghost's other fist opened slightly and red ectoplasm swirled into existence in his palm. Danny readied one of his own.

The instant Vlad released his energy; Danny did the same, the two blasts meeting halfway. The green blast was much too weak, however, and was overcome by the larger, stronger, red blast. It absorbed the weaker ectoplasm and plowed forward, Danny dodging with mere inches to spare.

Before he could recover, Vlad was at his front, his fist connecting with Danny's cheek in a bone crushing punch. The red energy surrounding his hand burned Danny's skin and he shrieked in surprise and pain.

Danny faltered for half a second before blocking another punch from his adversary. It wasn't enough and Vlad's quick reaction sent a hard punch in Danny abdomen. His balance thrown off, he descended several feet in the air while clutching his stomach. _Even dead, I can still feel pain_. He winced.

In his own thoughts, Danny was unable to see the large blast headed his way until it was on him. It slammed into him and he screamed, careening into the brick of a building. Vlad once again gave him no time to recover and dealt a swift kick to the side of his head, sending him crashing into the concrete sidewalk below, severely denting it.

Danny slowly opened his eyes to see Vlad heading straight for him. He was cornered, trapped, no where to go. Vlad couldn't kill him…could he? He was already dead. Was it possible to 'kill' a ghost? Danny didn't know, and his mind was hazy, clouded by pain.

Vlad gathered a massive amount of ectoplasm him his hand and dove head first for the boy. Danny was vaguely aware of this; he was still lost in his own thoughts.

How had Vlad become so fast? His arch-foe was always more powerful and quicker, but this…this was too fast. He didn't even give Danny any time to think!

It clicked. Danny always weaseled his way out of trouble with Vlad because he was cleverer. Vlad figured that out and now refused to give the lad any time to come up with a plan. But now…it was too late, Vlad was right there about to strike the final blow.

Then Danny's eyes widened. He felt it; the surge of power, the unmistakable feeling of energy coursing through him anew. Vlad was right there, a mere foot from plunging his red glowing hand through his chest. Yet…he wasn't moving.

Instincts had kicked in along with a new force of power Danny was unfamiliar with. The world went silent, he didn't blink, and Vlad halted to a stop, frozen in time. Memories of his family flashed in his head only to be replaced by a vision of his dad fading away and the sound of Vlad's vile laughter.

Danny became instantly angry, his eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a snarl. His shoulders hunched and his fists clenched.

The instant the world came rushing back, Danny let loose the most powerful ghostly wail he had ever used. Vlad was taken by surprise and unable to avoid the blast. It hit him and sent him hurdling through the air. It weakened him and left him devoid of energy to fight with. Buildings rattled, car alarms sounded and dogs barked in alarm. Vlad came rushing back to earth and hit the ground with a thud.

Danny, slightly dazed, stood above his adversary. "Leave." He forced with as much authority as he could muster. Vlad bowed his head and nodded, floating weakly into the air and away.

Danny fell to his knees and held his stomach again, bringing his free hand up to look at it. He experimented and called forth a small ball of ectoplasm into his palm. He hadn't been hallucinating. His ectoplasm was blue, not green. The ghostly wail was blue and extremely powerful, the testament that his ectoplasmic signature had, indeed, changed. He had somehow managed to tap into a new level of power, a level he had never been able to reach while alive.

A feeling of excitement rippled through him. He was able to defeat Vlad! And with this new power, it would be easier to keep his parents safe. Letting the energy dissipate, he closed his hand and held it to his chest, closing his eyes. It was almost like…an answer to his prayers. He smiled.

_Thank you._

--

_**Well now. That certainly took a while! I'm a little behind so the next chapter is not written, therefore, the update will be a bit. I hope not nearly as long as this one, though.**_

R&R!


	8. Rejection

**What is this? AN UPDATE?! HOLY CRAP!**

**Okie this took way too long to post. My apologies. But to make up for it, it's extra long! There is a sort of climax here :)**

**Disclaimer: Restless bedposts of insomnia! Seriously, I think I'm insane. I don't own DP or anything associated with it :).**

_When lies become the truth  
That's when I run to you_

This world keeps spinning faster  
Into a new disaster so I run to you  
I run to you baby  
And when it all starts coming undone  
Baby you're the only one I run to  
I run to you

"_I Run to You" by Lady Antebellum_

**Chapter eight: Rejection**

"Danny calm down!" Sam shouted while steadying her best friend's shoulders.

Danny had flown back through her window and since then had been chattering incessantly, pacing back and forth, hands flying in all sorts of directions and his pale face actually turning red from his excitement.

He settled his wide green eyes on her violet ones, his own reflecting his great enthusiasm. If he could breathe, his chest would be heaving and he was sure he would have hyperventilated by now.

"Start from the beginning." Sam said calmly after a few moments. "I couldn't understand a word you said."

Danny took a few seconds to placate himself, closing his eyes and counting to ten. Tucker cocked his head to the side from his spot on the bed waiting patiently. Sam let go of Danny's shoulders and took a step back, waiting.

Opening his piercing green eyes again he smiled and started from the beginning. "I saw Jazz, but her reaction was nothing like you two." He let amusement slip into his tone.

"Meaning she didn't choke you." Sam stated more than asked. Tucker shot her a glare.

"Right. In fact, she just…hugged me."

"Well that's a good sign." Tucker said.

"Obviously." The sarcastic undertone was not missed, and this time it was Danny shooting the Goth a warning glare. "Sorry." She mumbled.

Danny shook his head and continued. "I was scared she was going to freak or something. But she hugged me instead and she…" Danny rubbed the back of his heck; his usual nervous habit. "She said, 'I knew you'd come home'." He smiled here. "She never doubted I'd come back."

Sam smiled. "She's your sister, and let's face it, it's Jazz we're talking about. She wouldn't give up on you that easily."

Tucker nodded his agreement. "She took it hard, but was the strongest out of all of us."

"She even got a C on a test." Sam chimed in.

Danny couldn't hide his shocked and somewhat dumbfounded look. Shaking his head to rid himself of the shock, he said, "It's pretty bad when it puts a dent in her grades."

Tucker and Sam nodded, silence consuming the room. It wasn't an uneasy silence, but it bothered them all anyway. Suddenly, Tucker brightened. "You said something about your powers?"

Sam raised a brow. "You understood a part of what he said earlier?" The dark skinned boy shrugged. "Just a little. I heard something about powers in there."

When they turned their gazes at Danny, they once again came face to face with a very excited ghost boy. It was quite comical to see, actually. He was almost like a giddy little school girl that was just told she made the cheerleading squad. Sam blanched at the thought.

"Watch this!" Danny nearly shook with excitement. He lifted his hand for his friends to see and concentrated. A small _blue_ ball of ectoplasm formed in his palm, sparks of electricity danced across its surface, making shadows on the walls dance to some unheard and out of beat melody.

Tucker jumped from his spot on the bed and joined Sam. They stared in wonder at the sparkling swirl of ectoplasm and then switched their gazes to Danny. His face was illuminated blue from the brightness the power emanated, and he was just as enthralled as his friends.

"I ran into Vlad after I left Jazz." He explained calmly, a stark contrast from just a few moments ago. "I'm not sure if it's possible to _kill_ a fully fledged ghost, but he sure as heck tried."

Sam's eyes reflected worry even if she saw Danny right in front of her unharmed. The ghost boy let the ectoplasm ebb from his palm and looked at his two best friends. "I guess in the end I panicked and when he had me cornered, instincts kicked in. I let out the most powerful ghostly wail I've ever done and oddly…it was blue."

"You've used your powers since you returned right?" Tucker asked. When Danny nodded his confirmation, he continued. "It was green before?"

"Yes. I'm not sure exactly how it changed, but there's a lot more power packed into it. I think I was able to tap into a stronger power I wasn't able to touch when half human."

"So, like, your human side kept it hidden or suppressed it?" Sam asked, her curiosity long since being piqued.

Danny nodded again. This time, Tucker shook his head, not entirely liking the feeling this was giving him. "I don't know, dude, be careful. I have a feeling your human side may have been locking these powers away for good reason."

Danny gave Tucker a puzzled look, prompting the techno geek to continue. He hesitated, knowing his next words could very well stir up unwanted memories for his friend. But with a look of determination he continued. "Remember what happened the last time you saw yourself as a full ghost. All that raw power…was destructive and evil. You have to be careful, man."

A look of recognition joined the pain in Danny's green orbs. He remembered very well what happened when he was full ghost. It nearly destroyed everyone he loved. He couldn't become that…he would never. "It's different this time. I have you guys. I didn't become full ghost because _you_ died; I became full ghost because _I_ died. I don't have that grief to drive me to become that." He hung his head and closed his eyes willing the memories to fade.

"I'm sorry, dude." Tucker quickly apologized. "I just want you to be careful…"

Danny looked up and managed a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Tuck. I don't want that to happen as much as you do."

Sam stood quietly. She didn't see the other timeline; she didn't see the accident. But she knew Danny had, and the impact it had on him still affected him. When he thought no one was looking he would get a faraway look in his eyes, a look that reflected pain and agony. But Sam knew; she watched him when he thought she wasn't. Her heart ached for him. He saw his friends and family die in front of him and felt that grief. Sam closed her eyes and lowered her head, but his voice prompted her eyes to open and gaze at him with a look of sorrow.

"Trust me, I learned to never take you guys for granted. I wouldn't do anything to lose you on purpose." He smiled almost shyly at his two friends.

Tucker smiled back and took a moment to contemplate his thoughts, choosing his words carefully as to tread lightly on yet another touchy subject. "So…are you going to tell your parents?"

Sam's thoughts had reflected the same question as she nodded in agreement, her eyes on Danny for his answer. He simply shrugged and ran a hand through his snow white locks. "I don't really have a choice now. Vlad made it quite obvious he was serious about offing my Dad." He eyes grew stern and serious. "A chance I refuse to let him have."

"Do you have a plan as to how you'll tell them?" Sam cocked her head slightly, curious.

Once again, the ghost boy shrugged. "No, but I figure the best way is to just come right out and say it."

Tucker sighed and placed himself back on Sam's bed. He glanced at the clock and noted it was getting late. "I probably should go." He shoved hit thumb in the direction of the clock.

"Wow, didn't realize it was almost midnight." Sam said offhandedly. "Well," she said as if snapping herself out of a daydream, "I want to take a shower before I go to bed, so out." She shooed Tucker out of her room, receiving slight protest. "Stop pushing me!"

Sam scoffed. "You wanted to leave anyway. Now out! Out, out, out." She shut her bedroom door as Tucker turned around to make a smart comment. "You know the way out." She projected through the door.

Danny shook his head. Some things never changed. He glanced at Sam as she gathered a few clothing items before heading into her bathroom. Speaking of change, Sam wasn't quite herself yet. It worried him, but he knew only time could heal her and mend the wound still left in her heart after he died. He was here, that's really all he could offer. He just hoped it wouldn't take too long for her to become the Sam he really knew, the independent, sarcastic Goth with a sense of pride, a girl who can take care of herself and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. He smiled and sat down in the lounge chair.

By the time Sam appeared again Danny was extremely bored. She found him floating upside down in a sitting position on her ceiling seemingly meditating. Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard him softly say, "Ohm." She raised a brow.

After a few minutes of listening to Danny's soft murmurs, Sam was now bored and slightly irritated. Danny was harshly jerked out of his meditation when a pillow connected squarely with his face. He was thrown off his equilibrium and tumbled to the floor, earning a chuckle from the raven haired girl sitting on her bed.

He groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position. "You know, falling eight feet still hurts." He grumbled.

"And you going "ohm" for the past ten minutes is annoying." She deadpanned.

With a roll of his eyes, Danny sauntered over to the chair and plopped down, the faux leather cushion squishing beneath him. He mentally shrugged. At least she was acting somewhat normal.

Sam stretched and yawned before leaning over and turning her light out, casting her room into an eerie darkness. The only light came from Danny's eyes as they glowed green, casting shadows on the walls that danced when he moved his head.

Sam closed her eyes and sighed, trying to rid herself of some of the stress the day accumulated. Behind her eyelids she could see the eerie green glow that would occasionally flicker signaling when Danny blinked. Why hadn't she noticed the glow before? Perhaps she had been too tired the night before to notice.

A question popped into Danny's head and before he could stop himself, he asked it. "Would you come with me when I tell my parents?"

"That wouldn't be a good idea." Sam's muffled voice drifted to him through the blanket she had pulled all the way to her nose.

"Why not?"

Sam sighed heavily and sat up, pushing the blanket off her torso. "Because, Danny, what would it look like if I was with the ghost kid?"

Danny shrugged. "It could help confirm the truth for them." He stated simply.

Sam sighed again and ran a hand through her ebony hair. "You don't get it, Danny. They would think either you've done something to brainwash me, or your death caused me to go completely insane so I used you as his replacement."

"Oh." Danny blinked a few times, sending the room into short intervals of darkness. Sam took his silence as her cue to lie down again. As she shifted and got comfortable, Danny talked again. "Do you think the color of the ectoplasm ghost's use indicates their power?"

Sam groaned lightly. "I don't know."

"Well mine is more powerful now and it's blue. Vlad's is red; I wonder if his is more powerful than mine?" Danny mused.

Sam was getting very irritated, very fast. She loved Danny, but all she really wanted at the moment was sleep. "It's possible." She said finally.

Danny knew he was annoying her, but he had so many questions floating around in his head and couldn't keep himself from asking them. "Why would Vlad tell me of his plan?"

"He probably thinks you can't stop him."

"Yeah, I guess so. But that's still a stupid idea. It gives m-" Danny was cut off abruptly by another pillow connecting with his face. As it fell, his bewildered face met a very annoyed Sam.

"Go. To. Bed." Sam growled leaving very little room for argument. Danny opened his mouth but shut it again when he realized he had nothing more to say. Sam settled back down and closed her eyes. She could see the green light behind her eye lids flicker.

"Good night, Sam." Danny's voice was soft; almost as if he was afraid saying it would upset Sam again. She sighed and opened her eyes. "Good night, Danny." She said gently.

With that, the light died indicating Danny had shut his eyes and Sam shut hers again, silently thanking anyone who might hear her for giving her Danny back to her.

It was lunch at Casper High, and the trio of friends was sitting outside on the steps eating. It wasn't their usual table inside, but it was decently warm for November and the three didn't want to raise any kind of suspicion. A few students were already on edge from when Danny had gotten too close to them. He made a very noticeable drop in temperature and considering the amount of ghost attacks at Casper High, a lot of the students were well attuned to what a drop in temperature meant.

Sam and Tucker were getting along well and the three carried on like usual; cracking jokes, playing pranks on each other, reminiscing about old ghost battles. It was as if Danny never left them.

Danny was careful to remain invisible. It was slightly draining, but nothing he couldn't manage. Every once in a while he would let a part of his body become visible to play a joke or make Sam and Tucker laugh.

Despite the current light mood, the three were all apprehensive about the afternoon plans. Immediately after school, Danny planned on going to see his parents. They all had their doubts but hoped that maybe, just maybe the Fentons would believe him.

"Oh, sweet meat." Tucker practically drooled as he bit into his meatloaf.

Sam made a disgusted face and took a bite of her salad. "I don't understand how you can eat that without dressing." She heard Danny comment.

Sam shrugged. "I always have, so it's good to me." She made another face as Tucker smacked his lips and wiped the grease from his mouth with the back of his hand. "What I don't understand is how he can eat _that_."

Danny smiled. It was a miracle things between them hadn't been worse while he was gone. They really were complete opposites.

The bell rang a few minutes later signaling the end of lunch. Danny inwardly cringed as yet another period flew by bringing his encounter with his parents ever closer. Ironic. When he was alive, school never went by fast enough. Now, when he wanted it to last, it was passing by like a speeding car.

The rest of the school day went that way and by the time the bell rang and the teens began to file out the doors Danny was a nervous wreck. Sam and Tucker picked up on it, but there wasn't much they could do to console their friend with so many people around.

The ghost boy floated listlessly next to his friends; his eyes downcast, eyebrows furled and fists clenched. He knew it was time.

After a few minutes they came to an alleyway where Danny was able to drop his invisibility. With a sad look to his comrades, he sighed. Sam placed a hand on his cold shoulder. "No matter how it turns out, we're here."

Danny gave a weak nod in response. He knew they would be, but honestly, he wasn't sure even they would be able to fill the void left in his heart if his parents were to reject him. With another heavy sigh and a somber wave, he flew off into the sky, his flight lacking his usual enthusiasm.

In what seemed like only seconds, Danny was floating above Fenton Works. His stomach was tied in knots and his heart did flips in his chest. This was it. He kept telling himself everything would work out, it would all be ok. But he was now beginning to admit he was much more scared than he let on. There was a good chance his parents would reject him.

He gulped and tried to calm his trembling body. Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly and phased into Jazz's room. She wasn't home, but he knew his parents wouldn't be in this part of the house.

He flew around slowly taking in the sights of his house. He missed it more than he'd realized.

Stopping at his sister's doorway he peeked around the corner. No one was in sight so he presumed his parents were busy in the lab. Not giving himself enough time to lose his nerve, he moved forward and down the stairs.

A shifting of feet and soft murmurs confirmed his suspicion that his parents were in the lab. He balled his fists and shut his eyes trying to calm himself. He could feel his body instantly go into flight mode. A few moments later he was a bit more relaxed and without any more hesitation he slowly made his way down the stairs and stopped at the landing. He was still out of view of his parents.

He took a deep breath and popped his head around the corner of the stairs. His parents had their backs to him. "If we get rid of the siding there and add the flux capacitor to it, we could double the power." Maddie's voice carried through the metal room, ringing off the walls and slightly echoing up the stairs.

"You're right, Mads! With my new smaller flux capacitor, we could fit it in and it wouldn't be in the way. You're a genius baby!" Danny could tell Jack was smiling by the sound of his voice. They seemed to be doing alright while engrossed in their work, but from what Danny gathered from his visit the other night his parents—Maddie in particular--were actually quite depressed.

As he was standing there he realized they really must be seeing as how their ghostly instruments hadn't picked up on him. It hadn't dawned on him until now, but he no longer had his human half to disguise his ghost half like he did before. He was no longer able to fool their detection instruments, and yet they hadn't gone off. His parents must have forgotten to turn them on; which was very unlike them.

Danny took a cautious step forward, his eyes darting between the two humans on the other side of the lab. He took another step and another until he had crossed half the distance to them. Then, his clumsy side reared its ugly head and his foot kicked a stray metal can lying haphazardly on the floor. His parents turned quickly and pinned their shocked eyes on him.

Maddie was the first to move. She grabbed the Fenton Bazooka and aimed while Jack pulled out an ecto gun from seemingly nowhere.

Danny put his hands up in defense. "Don't shoot! Please! I'm not here to hurt you!"

"Why should we believe you, spook?!" Maddie growled.

Danny licked his lips and looked nervously between his parents. "Look, I know you hate me but please, I have something to tell you."

"We don't want any part of your games, Phantom!" Jack yelled.

"Just hear me out!" Danny surprised himself with the amount of authority he was able to force into his voice.

Jack looked at Maddie. She wasn't about to back down but he lowered his gun all the same. This was the first time Phantom had willingly sought _them_ out. It may present a good opportunity to understand the anomaly a little bit more.

Maddie continued to glare and didn't lower the bazooka, but she nodded to let the ghost continue.

Danny gulped and lowered his hands. "This is…rather difficult to tell you. I was too afraid to do it while I was alive…but I was hoping by telling you it would ease the pain."

Maddie scoffed. "We didn't know you while you were alive, ghost. Stop with your lies."

"Will you just listen for once?!" Danny balled his fists as his side. "This is why I never told you. You always jump to conclusions and I knew you'd never believe me even when I had the proof!" He threw his arms up in frustration. "This was a mistake to come here. I knew you'd never take me seriously."

Jack watched the scene calmly. He placed a hand on Maddie's shoulder and smiled to her as if to say 'just let him do what he came here for.' She rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine. Continue." She scowled.

Danny looked at her skeptically but relaxed a little. He could tell his father was trying to at least listen. He sighed. "This isn't going to be easy to accept, especially since…I don't really have any proof. You're going to have to trust me on this." He paused and glanced at his mother. She looked liked she really wanted to comment but kept her tongue still.

Danny gulped again, preparing himself for what he was about to say. He looked at them both; his eyes sad and pleading for them to believe him. "I am Danny. I'm your son."

Jack gasped. He just stared at the ghost in front of him while Maddie's glare became dark. "How dare you?!" she screamed. "He just died and you come here and pretend to be him?! YOU'RE NOT HIM!" she fired.

Danny hadn't expected the sudden pain that flared at his chest as he was thrown back into a table. He cringed as he sank the floor and held his head where it had hit the metal.

He looked up. Jack's sad eyes broke his heart. The large man simply stood there as a tear escaped and trailed down his cheek. Maddie was the opposite. She was burning with rage and Danny knew if he didn't run she would send him back to Heaven permanently.

Maddie growled again and powered up the bazooka. "You don't even bleed!" she roared.

With one last sorrowful look to his dad, he mouthed the words "I'm sorry," to him and took off through the ceiling. He could hear his mother's screams of rage and anguish behind him as he broke through the house and flew off into the sky.

He held his chest where the burn ached and set a course for Sam's; his own hot tears falling to the ground below. He knew rejection was a possibility, but no matter how much he expected it, he was never quite ready for it.

**Omg it took FOREVER to get through the rejection scene. I've had over half the chapter written since I last updated, no lie. I am SO SORRY it took so long, I really am.**

**The only problem now is, it's been so long, I no longer have my plot notes T_T. I know how I want to end it….but I can't remember what I wanted in the middle….**

**I'm just gonna have to wing it. I really hope because of that the next update doesn't take over a year.**

**On a positive note tho, I just turned 21 April 30****th**** :). So I'm excited. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review to tell me if you liked it! I know it's been a while lol.**


	9. Powerful

**For those who got the email saying this was posted yesterday, well it was. Originally. But I have to give a shout out to Dragondancer123 for pointing out a fact I hated myself—Danny's emotions from the attack scene simply seemed rushed. I was unhappy about it and what dragondancer123 said sparked an idea. For those who have read it already, the ending is a bit different. For those who haven't, well enjoy.**

**And to Dragon, I don't know if it's any better really, I'm still not completely happy with it, but it's certainly longer and I'm hoping his emotions are played out a bit more. I hope you enjoy it either way. :)**

**Disclaimer: Nothing odd to say today…I own nothing.**

_And I__…  
Just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed  
And I…  
Take back all the things I said to make you feel like that  
And I…  
Just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed  
And I…  
Take back all the things I said to you_

_And I__'d give it all away  
Just to have somewhere to go to  
Give it all away  
__To have someone to come home to…_

"My December" by Linkin Park

Chapter Nine: Powerful

"How long has he been in there?" Tucker had finally made it to Sam's after her frantic call to him.

"An hour. He flew in my room and then into the bathroom without a word." Sam stared sadly at the floor and wrapped her arms around herself. She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes to calm herself.

No words were exchanged for a while, but none were needed. Given Danny's reaction, it was obvious what happened. The only thing they could do was be there for him.

As the hours passed, Tucker had made his way to Sam's chair, and Sam was leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door. Both were tired, but neither complained.

The silence was long; it wasn't uncomfortable, it was simply lingering in the room allowing all parties to keep to themselves.

Just as a soft sigh escaped Sam's lips, the bathroom door handle turned and the door slowly swung open. Tucker stood from the chair and Sam picked herself up off the floor.

Danny stood there, leaning against the doorframe, his right hand holding his left arm in a nervous gesture and a nasty burn square in the middle of his chest. Sam gasped slightly; Tucker simply stared in sorrow.

They fully expected the rejection, but the attack? His parents must have been severely upset.

As Tucker opened his mouth to say something, Danny cut him off. "It's ok. I'll just have to try harder." He said with a half-hearted smile.

Sam reached out to softly graze the burn, but Danny flinched away. "Which one-"

"Mom." Danny cut her off.

"Oh, Danny…"

"She was really mad." Danny elaborated. "I should have expected it. I'm Danny _Phantom_. I always have been to them, even when Danny _Fenton_ was alive. It would be hard to believe that someone who has been around a few years is actually your recently deceased son."

Sam and Tucker exchanged glances. Their friend had a point.

Tucker sighed and dropped back down in the chair. "So your mom was really mad. What about your dad?"

Danny shrugged. "Honestly, he was really hard to read."

Sam furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

Danny shifted against the wall for a more comfortable leaning position. "Well, he wasn't really mad. I could tell he was really torn up, but he immediately dropped his weapon when I said I was Danny. That's pretty much were mom lost it."

Sam reached out to her friend, "I'm so sorry." She said, but he flinched away. Sam pulled her hand back instantly, as if she was burned.

"Please, I don't want to talk about it anymore." The haunted and defeated look in his eyes nearly sent Sam to her knees. There was nothing she could do for him.

The statement was final with no room for argument. The tension hung in the air thick and heavy. And so, the hours passed with little conversation. Sam and Tucker conversed among themselves as Danny simply sat in their company, his eyes distant and mind not entirely there.

****LINE BREAK!****

Tucker had left for the night, which made for a very uncomfortable silence between the ghost and his companion. As much as Sam wanted to talk to her best friend, he simply seemed to be elsewhere.

With a heavy sigh, she gathered the things she needed for a shower and shut herself in her bathroom, her mind never wavering from Danny. She quickly undressed and pulled her hair from its scrunchie and absentmindedly brushed her fingers through her dark locks to free it from tangles.

The burden placed on her best friend troubled her terribly. They had all expected rejection, but for Maddie to…to shoot him.

'_I suppose it really isn't a surprise.'_ She thought after a moment. After all, his ghost form had always been Danny Phantom to the Fenton's as Danny had mentioned. Even when the human side of him was still alive, Maddie had hardly hesitated to shoot his ghost side.

'_We shouldn't have put off telling them. Maybe then they'd believe him.'_

She turned the water on to a nice hot shower and stepped in after checking the temperature. She placed herself under the cascading droplets as she agonized over not pushing Danny to tell them sooner.

She sighed. _'If only I had pushed him harder. It's my fault, I should have. I'm so stupid!' _she thought bitterly as she hit the tile wall with her fist.

The noise must have startled Danny as she heard a light knock. "Sam?"

"It's alright, Danny. I'm ok." She assured softly. She waited but heard nothing more and took it as a sign that he was satisfied with her answer

She turned around letting the hot water splash her back as she wrapped her arms around herself. She tried to force the thoughts out of her head and let her mind go blank as she finished her shower.

Slowly, it worked and before she even realized, she was turning the water off and stepping out to dry off. Once dry, she put on black cotton shorts with little skulls on them and a simple black tank top. She brushed her hair carefully before placing her old clothes and wet towel in the hamper.

She stepped out of the bathroom, trying to ready herself for more uncomfortable silence, and just started to notice that the lights were off when she was grabbed from behind.

She panicked and instincts told her to scream. A cool hand clamped over her mouth before she could utter a sound. She felt as if her heart would come straight out of her chest when a voice—Danny's voice—whispered in her ear. "Stay quiet. Something's in here."

She nodded slightly and shut her eyes in fear. Danny let go of her and directed her to crouch in the corner behind the nightstand. He looked around, his ghostly eyes giving him better sight than humans. He grew frustrated when he could see nothing out of the ordinary, but he knew it was there. What it was, he didn't know, but it wasn't human.

He mentally cursed. Sam was frightened and the fear rolling off her was like a beacon. The creature would have no problem finding her.

The Goth waited as nothing happened, but she wasn't fooled. Danny's ghostly instincts were always right, even as a half ghost. She shook her head as she tried to get control of her emotions. _'What's wrong with me? I'm never this scared!'_

Little did she know, but the same thought was crossing Danny's mind. He was completely focused on finding whatever was there, but something in the back of the recesses of his mind he knew she shouldn't be so scared. She was a seasoned fighter for Pete's sake!

For now, she held her ground and waited for Danny to find whatever was there.

Her best friend searched carefully through the dark room. Even his good eyesight wasn't picking up on the figure. The only thing he knew was it had to be a ghost, but the ectosignature was all around him so he couldn't pinpoint its location.

He scanned over the chair and passed a dresser. He squinted to get a better look when he saw movement.

There!

Danny scowled and leaped forward, an ecto blast already forming in his right hand. He faltered as whatever was there actually laughed. The sound was evil and sent chills down Danny's spine.

Danny was mere feet from the ghost when it suddenly rose and stopped his foe mid step. He grabbed the hand that was glowing with energy and simply stared into Danny's eyes, a toothy lopsided grin adorning his face.

Danny's eyes connected with the beasts and in that instance he froze. Pure unbridled terror tore through him. It was something he had never felt before. The hair on his neck stood on end and his body shook with fear. He could feel the cold stale breath of the ghost on his face and he shuddered despite himself.

His mind screamed at him to attack or duck, anything to just _move_, but he was frozen with terror.

Sam, regardless of her own fear was able to move. As she neared the creature, her own fright increased tenfold but she refused to meet its eyes. With a surge of strength she pushed forward and knocked Danny to the ground, breaking the ghost's hold over him.

Danny hit the floor with an 'oomph' and lay there for a moment to regain his senses. His fear began to dissipate, and it was only now that he began to realize the power the ghost held. In his mind it clicked why Sam was so frightened when she had seen many ghosts before.

Sam's scream jerked him from his thoughts as he pushed himself up. The beast had Sam pinned to a wall and appeared to be _feeding_ off her panic.

He now had a chance to take a good look at it. There was no doubt it was a shadow ghost. Its dark figure hardly held an actual form, and it seemed to more like blend into the shadows around it. The only things that stood out on the ghost were its teeth and those eyes…those horrible eyes. Danny shook his head as the fear began to rise once more. He needed to focus and save Sam!

The Goth screamed again as her fear became intense. She struggled to be free but those ugly yellow eyes held her steadfast.

It chuckled deeply. "That's it, my dear. The fear will overcome you. Your poor human heart won't be able to take it, and once it fails, you'll be all mine." His voice echoed as he laughed again at her widened eyes.

"Don't touch her!" Danny growled an almost feral growl and launched himself at the shadow ghost. It turned its head in Danny's direction but the teen kept his eyes averted. With a powerful punch he realized too late that it went straight through the ghost and he had to twist painfully to avoid slamming into Sam.

He grunted as he connected with the wall and vaguely heard Sam shout his name as his head spun.

"Ah, the young ghost hybrid wants to play." It taunted and wrapped a dark tendril around Danny's throat. It frowned, however when it didn't get the desired response.

This time it was Danny's turn to laugh, but it was a hollow mournful one, full of agony over the truth. "News flash, I'm no longer half human. I don't need to breath." He spat.

"Well, well. Looks like the ghost boy finally met his maker." It grinned. Its expression then turned dark. "I'll just have to kill you another way." It barked.

The creature kept Danny pinned but instead focused his attention on Sam. She shut her eyes tight and turned her head away, but the fear still overtook her. She panted as beads of sweat dripped from her forehead. She could feel her heart in her throat beating a mile a minute. The ghost was right, she wouldn't last much longer, but no matter how much she tried to fight it, she could not bite back the terror.

Next to her, she could hear her best friend's savage snarl and suddenly she dropped to the floor. The fear lessened a bit as she fought to gain control.

Danny, meanwhile, was not going to hold back. The absolute _fury_ he felt completely overrode the fear, and the ghost knew it; its hideous eyes widened just a bit at the realization. "I won't let you hurt her! I lost her once, I won't lose her again!" he shouted.

"_That's it…"_ a soft, yet deep voice encouraged him. He was only vaguely aware of it.

In a flash, his fists sparked to life, blue energy cackling over the surface and up his arms. Sam watched the display with subdued apprehension. He truly was much more powerful as a fully fledged ghost.

She gasped as, unbeknownst to her best friend, his eyes began to glow the same blue as his hands.

"_Feel the power. Don't let it get away."_

Danny grinned, the feeling of power surging through him, making him feel invincible. He reveled in it, feeding off it, and grinned wider as the ghost showed its own fear. Danny's rage at Sam being hurt mixed with the power, fueling the fire and making the blue energy that much more stronger.

"_How dare it touch her. Finish it!" _The voice boomed in his head.

In the second before he released the energy, his grin turned into a scowl. "See you in Hell." He spat and let the blast flow full force. It hit the ghost and an ear shattering scream broke the air. Blue sparks leaped around its body burning everything in their path. After what seemed like an eternity, the ghost burst into mist and disintegrated.

The voice seemed to cackle madly inside the teens head.

Danny's eyes stayed blue for a few moments even after the power died from his hands. Sam looked at him fearfully. He held such power, and he…can ghosts even die?

Before she could think of an answer, Danny fell to his knees. She crawled to him but stopped a foot away. "Danny?" her soft voice was timid.

Her friend brought his hands up to look at them. It was then that she realized his body shook with unshed tears. "I…" he started. "I…what did I do?"

"_Exactly what you should have done."_

His mind raced. He remembered it clearly, he knew exactly what he had done, but he simply could not believe. He just did the very thing he was against. His entire being could not comprehend the horrible thing he had just done. He had just taken another life.

"I…I didn't mean…I wasn't thinking straight…" he shut his eyes and covered his face in his hands. "What have I done?"

"_You were thinking perfectly." _Danny shook his head. The voice was louder now, and vaguely familiar.

Sam crawled the last foot to him, secure in the fact that he now seemed himself. She wrapped an arm around him, glad that this time he didn't flinch away. "You were scared, Danny."

"That doesn't give me an excuse to commit _murder_!" he shouted, making Sam wince.

"Danny, it wasn't-"

"Don't say it!" he interrupted, finally looking at her. "That's exactly what I did, and you know it! I just _killed_," he spat, disgusted, "another being."

"_She's right you know. It really was your fault."_

Sam sighed. "And he was trying to do the same thing to us. You saved us, Danny."

"He didn't have to die." His voice cracked as fresh tears found their way down his cheeks. He curled his fingers in his hair, trying to get the dying image of the shadow ghost out of his head. The voice chuckled again and Danny willed it to leave him alone.

It only laughed harder.

Sam did the only thing that came to her mind—she pulled him to her and hugged him tight. He didn't entirely return the gesture, but he did pull his hands from his hair and let them fall to his side as he laid his head on her shoulder.

He sniffed before whispering, "My mind…seemed to go blank, like I had no control. The only things I felt were anger and…and." He choked again, losing his composure.

"_And wicked? Delicious isn't it?"_

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here, Danny." Sam squeezed him tighter and forced her face into his chilly neck, her warm breath sending a tingle through her best friend.

He closed his eyes. "I felt…_power_. It was intoxicating. I actually…_enjoyed_ it. I don't want to…to turn into _him_."

"_Well lucky for me we no longer have the human side that held us back. You don't have a choice."_ The force of the voice startled Danny, but he tried to hide from Sam as best he could.

Sam pulled back to look into those brightly glowing eyes so filled with despair. "And you won't. Like you said before, you didn't lose us because we died. You willingly sacrificed your own life to save your sisters. That's far from evil."

"_Even Clockwork said there are many paths. He didn't say only one led to me."_

Danny froze a bit, realizing exactly who the voice belonged to. He shut his eyes tight and mentally slapped himself. _"Go away!"_ he shouted in his mind. _"I will never become you!_"

Dan chuckled once again. _"You can't fight destiny."_

Danny lowered his eyes, his shoulders slumping a bit more. He tried to stay on topic with Sam to keep her from noticing anything strange. "I remember while I was fighting Vlad, I thought _'can ghosts really die?'_. I guess I never thought about it before. I thought they just went back to the ghost zone. But what I did to that ghost…there's no coming back from. So I guess I have my answer."

Sam smiled lightly. "We'll get through this together."

But her friend shook his head. "I just went against everything I stood for. I was given a second chance and _this_ is what I do with it?" he growled and hit the floor with his fist, the sudden outburst causing Sam to jump.

They sat there a few minutes, Danny brewing and Sam unsure of what to say. Luckily for the blue-eyed teen, Dan kept his silence as well.

Finally, Sam opened her mouth to say something, but Danny cut her off. "Don't, Sam. Just don't. I saw the fear in you. After I killed him, you were afraid, but of me not the ghost. "

The Goth shook her head but once again Danny kept her from speaking. "Don't deny it, Sammy!" he shouted, his blue eyes, now dull, staring into her amethyst orbs. The anguish she saw in those baby blues was enough to make her freeze. "I'm a monster." He dropped his head again, pulling his knees to him and burying his head.

"I'm a monster." He repeated softly to himself. The voice only repeated the sentiment as well, agreeing gleefully with Danny.

Sam licked her lips and looked around. She was desperate for a way to help him. Her heart ached seeing him like this. But she had to admit, and she would only to herself, that she had been afraid of her best friend. The sheer power he held was far greater than any of them realized.

Meanwhile, Danny was battling with Dan inside his own head. _"Get out!"_ Danny shouted.

He heard another chuckle. _"Make me."_

"_You're not really even here! You're stuck in a thermos at Clockwork's lair!"_ The teen covered his head with his hands, burying himself deeper into his knees.

"_I'm in you, Danny-boy. I __**am**__ you. I'm a part of you and always will be."_

"_No…"_ Danny pleaded. _"Please…just leave me alone."_ His sobs became heavier as his tears fell anew.

Sam noticed the distress and wrapped her arms around Danny. "Please, Danny. We'll get through this." She comforted softly.

Danny was successfully able to get Dan to be quiet so he could keep to his own thoughts. His own, however, weren't any better.

"_How could Sam still be my friend after what she just saw?"_ He bit his lip. _"I can't tell her how I feel now; she'd hate me. I'm just a monster; a killer."_ Danny wanted to scream, to run, to hide, anything to get away from what his life had now become.

"_I never should have come back!" _the thought made his still heart had wanted to see his friends and family so bad. But his parents hate him and now his crush was scared of him. Another sob shook him. _"Ambriel…what's the point of my return? Why didn't you just make me stay there?"_

His thought went unanswered and Danny grew frustrated. _"I don't deserve another chance."_ He thought bitterly.

Sam held him for some time. The room was quiet and the only light was the moon shining in through the windows. Soft sniffs could be heard from the boy she was hugging, but she said nothing. He simply needed her company.

Danny stirred a little, lifting his head. Sam tried to look at him, but he kept his teary eyes on the floor.

"I hate what I've become."

It was so soft, Sam wasn't completely sure she heard it. But it tore at her heart anyway. Before she could say anything in response, the phone rang.

"Who could be calling this late? It's passed 11." She commented as she stood and answered. "Hello?"

Danny couldn't hear the voice on the other end, but when Sam's expressed turned panicked; he suddenly went into fight mode. "What's wrong?"

Sam jammed the phone on its base and turned worried eyes to her friend. "It was Jazz…Vlad's at your house."

If Danny's face could turn any paler, it did. Without thinking he darted to his feet and bolted out her window. "Danny!" Sam screamed. She vaguely heard him tell her to stay there.

She growled. "Like Hell!" The Goth turned heel and raced out of her house and pounded down the street. She only hoped neither of them was too late.

**OK while that did take longer than I wanted, it didn't take nearly as long as last time! Plus, I already know what I'm going for in the next chapter. It's just a matter of finding time. But, alas, I have many more ideas floating around, so this story doesn't have much longer. I'd say 3 chapters tops.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, and I'd love to hear from you again!**


	10. Reluctant Acceptance

**K so this didn't quite get out as quick as I had wanted. I rushed through the first part cuz I was so excited and then hit a writer's block at the end lol.**

**Also, I'm getting a lot of story alerts and favorites. Please, if you like the story let me know. Reviews are the nectar that keeps us writers going. And trust me, I tend to get a lot of writer's block, so the reviews help push me into gear.**

**Disclaimer: I own a cat, a gecko, three fish tanks and a few betas. Sadly, I do not own DP.**

***LINE BREAK* - had to add them in since this site won't let me do my usual line breaks anymore.**

"_Hopeless, I'm falling down,  
Filthy, I can't wake up,  
I cannot hold on,  
I will not let go.  
Worthless, it's over now,  
Guilty, there's no way out,  
I cannot hold on,  
I will not let go."_

"_Hopeless" by Breaking Benjamin_

***LINE BREAK***

Chapter Ten: Reluctant Acceptance

Danny growled and put on speed. _"That conniving little…"_ The teen cut off his thought as he swerved to miss a building. _"That shadow ghost was a distraction so he could get to my dad!"_

Just the thought of anything happening to his dad sent a trill of rage through him. He balled his fists and willed himself to go faster, his wake swaying trees, moving trash cans and setting off car alarms.

He wasn't far now and his speed was cutting the time significantly. His scowl deepened with each passing second and he continued to push himself. _"Faster!"_ Each second wasted flying there could be his dad's last.

"_Just think, if Vlad wastes your father, I could be free."_

Danny growled again, determined to ignore Dan's voice. He would NOT turn into him! No, he wouldn't, he'd make it in time.

Another few blocks and he'd be there! He could already see the Fenton Work's satellite on top of the house. A spark of hope shot through him, but was soon replaced with fury when Vlad came into view.

The entire Fenton family was outside. The fight was causing a huge commotion, and half the block was standing at their doors observing.

Jazz was still on the stairs but with no weapon. Maddie and Jack were fighting hard to keep Vlad from cornering them against the house. Maddie had the ever present Fenton Bazooka and Jack carried an ecto gun and his beloved Jack-o-Nine-Tails.

Danny's rage grew and he gritted his teeth, allowing blue energy to form in his hands. At this speed, there was no stopping, so he opted for the obvious choice. Well, obvious to him.

***LINE BREAK***

"Jack, keep Jazz safe." Maddie shouted as she tried to get herself around the back of her foe. She had realized, quite suddenly, that this ghost—whom they only knew as the Wisconsin Ghost—wasn't going after her. In fact, all of his attacks seemed to _avoid_ her. She was hoping to use that to her advantage and sneak behind him.

That plan didn't work, however, as Vlad turned and encased her in a shield. Her eyes widened and although Vlad couldn't hear her, he could clearly tell she had just called him a bastard.

He merely grinned at the infuriated woman and returned his attention to his real target: Jack.

The lumbering oaf was covering Jazz, ecto gun at the ready. He charged the gun and fired, but Plasmius dodged it easily. A few more shots like this and Vlad grew tired of the game.

"Enough!' he shouted. "I'm done playing charades. Now die!"

His hands started to glow red with energy. He gathered as much as he could as an evil grin spread across his pale face.

Inside her bubble Maddie screamed at Jack to take Jazz and run, but the shield prevented any sound from escaping.

Jazz was frozen in fear. Her father looked behind him and smiled reassuringly even though he realized this moment may be his last. His daughter could only stare at him like a deer in headlights, tears running down her cheeks. She couldn't believe Vlad was really going to kill them.

The red-head clutched her father, knowing that even if they ran, Vlad would simply follow. They would not get away.

Their foe cackled madly, reveling in the fact that this moment was finally here. He would finally get rid of this moron and be able to console Maddie as Vlad Masters and make her his bride. And with no pest of a daughter or brat of a son, Maddie would be all his.

The red ectoplasm flashed brightly and he lifted his hands to release.

Jack and Jazz held each other, waiting for the inevitable while Maddie screamed in anguish from her shield. She lost her son, she couldn't lose them too! She'd never survive.

But just as the red energy began to flare, their entire foe disappeared.

Maddie stared in confusion. A black, white and blue blur had slammed into Plasmius at full speed and sent the older ghost careening down the street.

Jack and Jazz looked up a few moments later when the blast never came, only to see Danny Phantom hovering where the enemy had been.

"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed, ecstatic to see her little brother.

The teen gave no indication of hearing her. His focus was solely on the enemy who was now picking himself up out of the dent in the pavement he had made when he hit.

The shield around Maddie dissipated and she scrambled to her family on the steps.

"What is _he_ doing here?" she asked.

Jazz smiled nervously. "I called him, Mom. And it's a good thing I did. That ghost almost…" she trailed. Jack hugged her closer for comfort.

Maddie looked back at Phantom. Anger surged through her at remembering their confrontation earlier, but she stamped it down for Jazz's sake.

The green-eyed Phantom was in battle ready stance, his hands glowing with blue energy and body poised to take action. The burn mark Maddie had given him hours earlier was still evident on his chest. But his stance was proud and nearly awe inspiring as he faced his rival without fear. It made Jazz realize just how much her little brother had grown up.

Vlad pulled himself to his feet and spit out a few pieces of asphalt. He glared daggers at the boy a few yards away and observed the teen. The normal cocky attitude was gone, replaced by something else. Vlad couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about the boy had changed. He seemed more like an adult than a 16 year old child.

One thing was for sure: the boy wasn't playing games. This fight was all serious. There would be no holding back from either of them, and Vlad had a feeling that if he lost, Danny wouldn't just let him go.

Frankly, Vlad wanted to pound the child for the sudden hit he had just taken. But something in the boy's eyes held him back.

Danny kept his eyes glued to his opponent. He ignored his family; he wasn't sure he could face his parents after this afternoon. Besides, if he focused on the task at hand, he could ignore the voice in his head.

"_What are you waiting for? Take him out! Just like you did that shadow ghost. How dare he touch our family?"_

Danny's gaze hardened. He refused to gratify Dan with a response. Instead, he set his sights forward.

"I won't let you near them." Danny said venomously. The shear confidence and willpower behind the words startled even Jazz.

"Why do you even care, Phantom?" Maddie countered before she could stop herself.

"Mom!"

"Mads," Jack started. "Please. If it wasn't for him, Jazz and I wouldn't be alive right now."

Danny spared a quick glance in their direction. Pain briefly flashed in those emerald orbs, but it passed quickly, not willing to show weakness in front of Vlad.

"Mom," Jazz pleaded. "Stop, you're hurting him."

Maddie remained quiet. Jack was right about one thing: Phantom had saved their lives. Why, she didn't know. But she was willing to let him do what he came for.

Vlad grinned. "Yes, _Phantom_. Why don't you tell them why you're here?"

The energy in Danny's hands sparked brighter—a sign of his growing anger. "I already told them." He snapped.

The elder hybrid nodded slightly. "I see. Is that where that nasty little burn came from, little badger?"

Danny snarled, tired of talking, and shot off like a bullet at Vlad. The bachelor managed to dodge in time and grabbed one of Danny's arms, spinning him around and into the brick of a house.

The impact left the teen dazed. He stumbled from the hole he left and leaned against a light pole until he regained his vision.

Vlad looked on with mild amusement. "Careful, dear boy. At those speeds you could really hurt yourself."

"_Are you going to let him get away with that?"_ the voice mocked.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut. _"Shut up!"_

Plasmius cocked a brow at the boy's strange expression. Mentally shrugging, he found himself not caring and charged an ecto blast in his hands.

Danny shook his head to focus and just in time. Lifting his arms out of more of an instinct than actual thinking, a blue shield took the force of the blow. He was knocked back a few feet, but was otherwise left unharmed. Dropping the shield he flew forward and allowed energy to form in his hand.

Vlad moved to dodge but his adversary predicted the move and landed a powerful punch to his head. The older hybrid held his jaw and descended a few feet to get his bearings. Giving his jaw an experimental movement, he winced. "Well played, my boy. I see you're honing your skills."

Danny crossed his arms in defiance. "Well, dying and coming back as a fully fledged ghost has a way of making you stronger."

There it was again, Vlad was sure of it! Danny's eyes held an unknown emotion in them.

Before Vlad could figure it out, Danny made the next move. The teen lashed out with a very strong ecto blast, the energy arching from his hands and across the distance at lightning speed. Vlad barely had time to put up a shield. It was, however, in vain. The powerful blast was too strong and his shield failed, sending the man flying into the asphalt once again.

Jazz cheered from the sidelines and even Jack smiled. Maddie kept quiet, observing the scene with reserved judgment.

"Danny, stop!"

The sudden voice made the family turn. Sam was running down the street. The Goth cursed herself for not taking the time to grab a jacket before leaving the house, but finding Danny was too important to turn back for one.

She panted heavily from the exertion and stopped a few yards away from Vlad, only to collapse on her knees from exhaustion.

"I told you to stay put!" Danny shouted. He was angry, but it wasn't directed towards her, although he was irritated at her inability to listen.

Sam sighed through her panting. "I'll repeat…what I said…when you said that…" she said between breaths. "Like Hell!"

Danny set his jaw. He didn't want her here. Wait, he stopped, why didn't he want her here?

"_She'll interfere with our fight! You need to waste the demon!"_

Danny grabbed his head, causing a few rather confused looks in his direction. Since he joined the fight, several more spectators had joined the audience.

"_Get out of my head, you Bastard!"_

Dan chuckled. _"Face it, you want her gone too. Without her, you can finish him."_

"_I'm not like you!"_

Sam furrowed her brow at her best friend. He was clutching his head and growling to himself.

"_Finish him!"_

"I won't kill him!" Danny shouted unintentionally. His family and a few spectators were startled while Sam looked on in sorrow. The only thing she could conclude was that her friend was going through some kind of inner turmoil. She just didn't know it was Dark Dan.

Vlad, meanwhile, was quite anxious. Did he really hear that right? He couldn't have…could he? The boy had always been for the people and couldn't hurt anyone, but there he was fighting with himself about killing Vlad!

That was all Vlad needed. The emotion he saw in Danny's eyes earlier was no longer a mystery. "Daniel, what happened to the shadow ghost?" he asked apprehensively, his voice barely above a whisper.

The teen froze, the question shaking him to the core. A vision of the ghost bursting and then evaporating flashed in his mind. Pure panic spread through his very being and the only thing he could hear was the horrible scream of the shadow ghost right before it died.

Sam could see the terror in her friend's eyes. She needed to get him to calm down. "It's in a thermos!" she lied.

Vlad turned to her, the look on his face clearly relaying that he believed no such thing. However, the pleading eyes of the Goth kept him from prying any further. He gave her a stern glare before returning his attention to the boy a few feet from him.

Jazz also didn't miss the conversation. She didn't know anything about a shadow ghost, but if the mere mention of it was enough to nearly drive her brother insane, something bad had to have happened. She had a bad feeling that it had something to do with whatever he appeared to be fighting with.

Danny finally had enough of the voices and enough of the guilt! He set a hard, almost murderous glare upon his enemy, making Vlad's blood run cold. For the first time in a very long time, fear actually flashed in his eyes.

Danny's eyes began to glow and Sam freaked as she realized what it meant. "Danny no!" she pleaded.

The teen ignored her and his whole body began to glow. Next to him, two copies appeared. As the glow vanished, all three Danny's flew at Vlad.

The hybrid ducked and made his own copies quickly from years of experience. Each Vlad had a Danny to fight with and in the fray, the real ones were lost.

Sam knew she couldn't stay there anymore; she was too close to the fight. Making sure to give the fighting copies a wide birth, she ran to the steps where the Fenton's stood. At this point, most of the audience had receded back into their homes afraid for their lives.

"Sam, what's going on?" Jazz grabbed the Goth's shoulders forcing her to look at the red-head.

Sam shook her head, tears threatening to fall. She couldn't tell them. They would think he was a monster.

Jazz became stern and shook the raven-haired girl. "Sam, I need to know! He's my little brother!"

Maddie turned a harsh glare on her daughter. "Don't tell me he's brainwashed you both?"

"I'm not brainwashed!" Sam shouted, pulling out of Jazz's grasp and jabbing a finger in the woman's direction. "He's my best friend and your son! But you don't care! All you tried to do while he was alive was hunt him down and dissect him!"

Jack remained quiet, clearly affected by her words. Maddie however, became enraged. "That…_thing_ is NOT my son! It's impossible! You can't be human and ghost!"

"He was Mom." Jazz's voice was soft and full of pain. It was enough to make Maddie stop short of her next hurtful words. "Remember the accident with the portal a few years back? And after that, how he would disappear all the time and was tired all the time; his grades started to slip and he always avoided your ghost weapons. The accident turned him half ghost. He was tired from all the ghost fighting."

Jack's eyes were wide. He may have been a simple man, but he wasn't stupid. He was so blind then, but now it all made sense. He glanced sadly at his wife.

Maddie remained quiet and set her jaw. She huffed and crossed her arms, turning away from them all and back to the fight.

After a final worried glance to her mother, Jazz once again turned her attention to Sam. She was determined to get the truth. "Sa-" she was cut off by a sudden thunderous boom.

The whole family ducked as a Danny copy hit the cement next to the house, sending concrete in all directions and causing the copy to dissolve.

The real Danny lost focus on the Vlad he was chasing to growl and take off after the Vlad that had caused the impact. He threw a strong blast in his foes direction, hitting him square in the back, triggering the clone to disperse.

With rage boiling in his eyes he twisted and set his lethal gaze upon the real Vlad. The green-eyed teen willed his other copy back to him and his eyes once again began to glow.

The older hybrid was frozen. His teen opponent had never been this hard to beat, nor was he ever so quick to anger. The boy's power truly was remarkable.

Sam once again found herself fearing for the older man. She had to get the real Danny back! Without a moment's hesitation, she fled from the stairs and bolted to her best friend.

"Sam, no!" Jack reached for the Goth but missed her shirt by inches. The Fenton family looked on in trepidation as Sam put herself in the line of fire.

The only thing running through the girls mind was stopping Danny before he did anything more he'd regret. She skidded to halt in front of Vlad and stood her ground even as her best friend charged electrified energy in his hands, the power bouncing from hand to hand in a dazzling display.

"Danny, stop! This won't accomplish anything!"

The power kept building.

"Remember what you said to me? You don't want to become _him_!"

The Goth realized with horror that her friend could not hear her words. He was so concentrated on his enemy behind her that he saw right through her. The teen noticed vaguely as the voice laughed maniacally, egging his host on.

"_Finish them! Kill them both!_"

A grin spread across Danny's face and in that instant released the blast, the energy cackling and spreading like cob webs across the distance.

Several screams shot through the night air, but none as loud as Sam's fear-filled one. It enough to snap Danny back.

The teen shook his head. "What the…?"

The scene before him seemed to play out in slow motion. In reality, a few seconds had passed, but Danny's lightning quick reflexes and ghostly instincts kicked in a power he had never used before: teleportation.

In a split second he was in front of his best friend. He wrapped his arms around her and erected a shield, but even his own shield didn't hold well against the sheer power forced by his wrath. It exploded around him and sent both teens rushing past the ducking hybrid and into the asphalt.

"Danny!"

"Sam!"

The Fenton's rushed from the steps but stopped short as the ghost began to stir.

Pebbles and other debris rained down around Danny and Sam. He was able to protect her from the blast, but had been unable to turn them so he could hit the ground. He pushed himself up, realizing he was on top of the Goth. He groaned in pain, his hazmat suit torn and burned from the blast, electrical energy still occasionally arching over parts of his body.

Looking down at the girl below him, his eyes frantically searched for any sign of life. Gently, he placed a hand on her cheek and was relieved to feel her breathe beneath him. But the sight of her still made him wince.

His body hadn't been enough to fully protect her from his power. Her face was scratched and bruised and burns snaked around her arms leaving ugly scars. God only knew what damage the landing had caused.

"What have I done?" He whispered. "I don't…I don't even remember."

"_Shame you had to wake up before she died._"

The teen closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Sam's. _"Go away, please."_

Dan chuckled, but otherwise kept quiet.

Hot tears trailed down the distraught boy's face. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember anything! The last thing he remembered was fighting with Dark Dan over killing Vlad. Then he simply blacked out.

"Daniel…"

The tired voice prompted Danny to lift his head, setting his eyes on the battered hybrid.

"Are you ok, my boy?" Vlad asked his voice for once truly sincere.

The green-eyed boy shook his head. "What do you care? Just go home, Plasmius."

The older man sighed, defeated. Whatever was going on with the boy was clearly due to his death and his transition to full ghost. Vlad didn't know what it was exactly, but he knew it was making the lad much stronger and unpredictable. He made a mental note to avoid the teen for now and flew off.

Danny lowered his head again and reassured himself with the sound of Sam's steady breathing. He hadn't killed his best friend. That was all that mattered.

The sound of cautious footsteps startled the teen, making him swiftly roll off his friend and crouch in a defensive stance.

Jazz held her hands up to keep her brother calm. "It's ok, Danny. It's over."

Said ghost shifted his eyes nervously between the three humans, not really afraid they would hurt him, but more convinced that they would not accept him now.

Jazz put her arm out to signal for her parents to stop and moved forward on her own. Danny calmed down a bit and returned his gaze to his Goth friend.

"I hurt her…" he stated softly.

Jazz bit her lip, trying to choose her words carefully. "That's not _you_ Danny. You'd never hurt anyone."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

The words sent icy chills down the red-heads spine. He sounded absolutely sure of it.

The young ghost carefully lifted Sam and pulled her into his arms. Her top was torn from the pavement and her back was sticky from blood. He stared at her with such tenderness that Jazz just couldn't believe her little brother could do anything but help people.

Danny grazed his pale fingers against his friend's cheek, brushing hair from her face. "I don't remember anything." He stated suddenly.

Jazz crouched beside the pair and started to inspect the younger girl. "I'm so sorry Danny. But it looks like you saved her life. She has some cuts, bruises and burns, but she should be ok."

Jack cleared his throat, causing his children to turn their attention to him. "We have the gear to patch her up. We can take her inside and tend to her."

Jazz smiled. "That's a good idea." She said, but noticing her brother's apprehension, she placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. Don't worry."

The nervous teen nodded and stood, carrying Sam bridal style. He cautiously followed his sister and father, trying his best to ignore the glare from his mother.

Once inside, Danny carefully set Sam on the couch, mindful of the burns and scrapes on her back. The girl unconsciously winced, making Danny feel all the more guilty.

"Jazz, grab the supplies from the lab. Get the first aid kit, the burn kit, and the suture kit." Maddie ordered. With a nod from her daughter, Maddie then turned to fetch a wash cloth from the linen closet. She soaked it in cool water and gruffly moved Danny aside so she could clean the debris from the girl's wounds.

Danny stood nervously, unwilling to go very far from Sam's side, but not brave enough to move closer to his untrusting mother.

He gave a quick glance to his father, only to notice a small smile from the large man.

Not exactly something he was expecting.

Before he could comment on it, Jazz returned from the lab with three totes of various sizes. She placed them next to her mother and turned to Danny. "I think we should call Tucker. He'll be mad if you don't tell him."

"Right." In truth, he hadn't even thought of calling Tucker. Everything happened so fast, and besides…he wasn't exactly proud that he had hurt his best friend.

He sent one last worried look at Sam before hesitantly heading to the kitchen for the phone. Picking up the phone and pressing the familiar buttons was almost nostalgic.

A few rings sounded and right as Danny was sure Tucker wouldn't answer, a groggy voice responded. "'ello?"

"Tucker…can you come to my house?"

"Danny?" his dark-skinned friend sounded a little more awake at the request. "I thought you were at Sam's?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when you get here, but Sam…she's hurt." The guilt threatened to overcome the teen ghost.

"How did that happen?" Tucker was fully awake now and worried.

"Like I said, I'll tell you when you get here."

"Ok, dude. I'm on my way."

"Thanks, Tuck."

The line went dead and Danny hung up the phone. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He racked his brain but it didn't matter. The memory of his fight just minutes ago would not surface.

"Danny?"

The teen jumped, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion into the kitchen. He flipped around and came face to face with his father. "Did you get hold of Tucker?"'

"Yeah…" Danny rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Look…uhh…Mr. Fenton," the boy faltered, the words foreign on his tongue, "I just want to get back to Sam."

Danny tried desperately to brush past the larger man, but Jack placed a solid hand on his shoulder and pulled him back a little.

The ghost gulped and refused to meet his father's gaze. After the rejection he had suffered earlier and after what his father had just witnessed…there really would be no acceptance.

Jack gave a heavy sigh, a sign of his fatigue. But he knew the boy before him was just as exhausted. "We'll take care of Sam." He started. "Just sit down and rest a while…son."

The last word his father uttered shocked Danny. His eyes shot to the larger man in astonishment. He was afraid of the emotions that would be hidden in those eyes, but what he anticipated, he didn't see. The only look Jack was giving him was one of love and recognition.

Jack brought himself down to his son's level and smiled. "I'm not the smartest person but what Jazz said makes sense. I tend to make a lot of mistakes, but the biggest mistake I ever made was not noticing everything you were going through before you died." The last words were strangled as the man tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

Danny sniffed, his own tears brimming at his eyes. "Dad?" he said, almost afraid and yet hopeful.

"Yes, son. I believe you."

Those words were all Danny needed. The boy flew up and threw his arms around his father. Jack returned the gesture and was startled at the cold feel of his son's body. It only served to depress him. Though his son was here with him, Danny would never be the lively young teen he once was.

With another heavy sigh, Jack let go of his only son. "Don't worry. I'll talk to your mother."

A nervous look once again flashed across the boy's face. "What if…"he faltered, rubbing his neck again. "What if she never believes me?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't know, son."

At the teen's dejected look, Jack smiled reassuringly to him. "I'm sure she'll come around. You know her; she's stubborn as a mule! It may just take some time."

"Right." Danny wasn't entirely convinced, but just the fact that his dad accepted him was enough to put him on cloud nine. He smiled broadly at his father and for the first time since his death, he felt hopeful.

***LINE BREAK***

**Ok sorry for the late update. This was much longer than planned and longer than my usual chapters. PLEASE review and let me know if you liked it!**


	11. True Love

**Once again, much later than I wanted; BUT! This is the last chapter. I hope I made up for it by making it an extra long chapter. *sigh* I can't believe it's over. I hope you all were able to solve the riddle! Cuz this is where it comes in!**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I'm glad you liked it!**

**Also half of this chapter was not actually ****typed**** with a keyboard. I found a voice recognition software on my computer. It's really neat! All I have to do is speak into a microphone and the words ****appear**** on the screen! In fact, this entire paragraph has been done by me speaking into the microphone. Well, enough chatter, on with ****the ****story!**

**Disclaimer: I own a state pharmacy technician license, but not DP :(.**

***LINE BREAK***

_What about now?  
What about today?  
What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?  
What if our love never went away?  
What if it's lost behind words we could never find?  
Baby, before it's too late,  
What about now?_

"_What About Now" by Daughtry_

***LINE BREAK***

Chapter Eleven: True Love

The Fenton household continued as usual with the occasional check-up on Sam. Danny never left her side. With each check, he received a reassuring smile from his father, a comforting pat from his sister, or a glare from his mother.

As the hours and eventually, days, passed, Jack promised his son he was working on Maddie. The teen, however, wasn't very optimistic.

Tucker had come that night. He said very little once he was told what happened. He didn't blame Danny, but he couldn't forgive him yet either.

Danny ran a hand through his hair and sighed. That was a subject his mind wouldn't leave alone. The gears in his head were working over time and refusing him rest. The stress made his body feel like he ran a marathon.

Glancing at the girl next to him, he wondered if his mother would ever accept him. Slowly, her glares seemed to soften. Whether it was from his family talking to her, or his sheer determination to not leave Sam's side, he wasn't sure.

Distractedly, he noticed the bandage on her arm needed changed. He stood and retrieved a new bandage from the end table and set to work taking the old one off. After nearly a week, her burns and cuts were healing well. It wouldn't be long before she wouldn't need any more bandages.

He couldn't even remember when he finished changing the bandage; he was so lost in his thoughts that the monotonous task had slipped by without notice. With another sigh, he threw away the old bandage and took his spot next to the raven-haired girl. He sat on the floor this time with his head resting gently on the sofa's edge.

Danny watched as Sam's chest rose and fell in a rhythmic dance; a small vein steadily pulsating on her neck as it told the tale of life. Danny longed for that feeling again. He shut his eyes and concentrated, but the only thing he could feel was the ectoplasm swirling through him. His chest did not move, nor did his heart pump precious life giving blood.

Opening his eyes again he shifted his focus to her hand. He cautiously placed his hand on hers and felt the guilt rise as a shiver ran through her.

A tear slowly made its way down his cold cheek. He whispered softly to her, "I just want to be normal again." He sniffed. "I just want to hold you without giving you hypothermia." He half joked forcing out a hollow chuckle.

He sniffed again and wiped his cheek, shifting to his knees and holding her hand with both of his. He leaned forward and brushed a stray piece of hair from her face. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I'll understand if you never forgive me; I know I wouldn't."

A hand on his shoulder startled him and he whirled around, his body automatically shifting into fight mode. Jack withdrew his hand, a little surprised by his son's reaction; his smile didn't fade, however.

The teenaged-ghost calmed at seeing his Dad and not an enemy. Letting his shoulders droop, he turned back to his best friend and after a moment of pause, "I don't know what to do." He admitted.

Jack kneeled next to Danny, his smile broadening. "She's your best friend, Danny-boy. Sam will forgive you as she always does."

The ghost shook his head. "I've never hurt her before. At least, not like this." Danny shut his eyes tight. "Ever since I died I feel like I've completely lost touch with who I am. I keep..." The white haired-teen trailed off, unsure if he should tell his Dad of the voice he keeps hearing. He sighed and opened his eyes again, his gaze focused on the girl in front of him. "I'm losing control. Now that the human side is gone, the ghost is trying to take over. It's willing me to let go of reason. I...I feel like I'm going mad."

Jack placed a reassuring hand on his son. "I wish you didn't have to go through this, but you're strong; you always have been. I know you won't give up."

Danny shook his head. "It's not that I'm giving up, Dad; I just can't fight it. I'm losing control and I can't stop it. The next time it happens...I may never go back. If it wasn't for Sam, I wouldn't have last time."

Jack stayed silent for a moment. Movement caught his eye and he spotted Jazz in the corner of the room gripping the door frame to the kitchen. She was nearly in tears. Sighing, he looked back at the distraught teen. "You may think that, son, but I know you better than that. You don't need to be afraid. I know you're strong and brave, and you have your family behind you all the way."

The suddenness of Danny's outburst made the larger man fall back off his knees. For once, he felt an ounce of fear as the glow around his son's body intensified with his anger. The ghost stood and balled his fists, but never turned to face his father. "You don't know what it's like!" He shouted. "You know_ nothing _of what I've been through since the portal accident! I've seen things-_horrible_ things. I got thrown into an alternate timeline where I cheated on one stupid test and what was the result?" At this, Danny finally turned to his father.

"I didn't get suspended, no, you all ended up _DEAD_!" he shouted, Jack's eyes widening. "I had to watch as I crumbled and went crawling to Vlad, begging him to cure me of my ghost half! And what's _worse_? My ghost side went crazy and_ killed _my human half! But that wasn't enough, my evil ghost half went out and killed _thousands_ of innocent people! _That's_ what I'm afraid of!"

Danny's whole body shook. His gaze switched to the floor and his voice softened. "That evil ghost is still in me. He mocks me and torments me. Without my human half I can't control him. When Plasmius came after you guys, he sent a ghost after me and Sam as a distraction. He hurt her and...I lost control. I...I..." Danny paused and swallowed hard.

"What happened, Danny?" Jack urged.

Danny's tensed body relaxed, the only thing that gave away his emotions was his eyes; they held sorrow, regret and agony. In a perfectly calm voice that belied his conflicting emotions, he whispered, "I killed it."

Jack and Jazz gasped.

"Without hesitation, I killed it." Danny reiterated more firmly. "And what scares me the most is that even though it tore me apart, I know I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If any of you were in danger, I'd kill again."

The room was silent. Jack didn't know how to respond and Jazz was horrified to realize that this was what Sam has refused to tell her when Danny and Vlad were fighting. Her baby brother had always been too pure to kill anything. He would even capture the bugs in her room that would make her squeal and take them outside and release him. For him to kill…_anything_…was just preposterous.

Danny sighed, a loud noise in the quiet of the room. His eyes drifted back to his best friend. "I don't know when that time will come, but when it does, there's no going back." He chuckled, but it was empty of emotion. "I suppose as a ghost my obsession is to keep you all safe. But in doing so, I'll destroy myself, and in turn, everything I love."

Jazz couldn't remember her brother being so mature, but looking at him now and listening to him speak, she knew he was wise beyond his years. She continued to cry, for she knew her brother would never get that innocence back.

Jack stood slowly from his spot on the floor. "Why didn't you tell us sooner, Danny?"

The boy scoffed. "I was scared. Plus I also figured I had all the time in the world. Karma's a bitch ain't it?"

Danny's father ignored the language. It was very un-Danny-like, but his son wasn't exactly who he used to be either.

Danny forced air into his lungs and let it out in a large 'whoosh', his bangs displaced by the sudden gust. He was tired, so tired of everything. He shook his head and glanced back at Sam. He knew she probably wouldn't wake up anytime soon. With a small nod more for himself, he looked back at his father. "I need to head out for a while."

Before Jack could protest, his son had disappeared. He stared sadly at the spot the ghost had just recently occupied. He was unsure what to make of all the information he had just absorbed, but with a glance at Jazz, he knew they could not give up on him.

***LINE BREAK***

Danny dashed from the house and flew to the roof. He alighted on the metal frame of Fenton Works and allowed the anger, sorrow and frustration to overtake him. He clamped his eyes shut and pulled at his hair as he fell to his knees. A scream ripped through the quiet street as he let loose all the agony that was built up inside his heart.

"Why?" he screamed into the air. "You told me there was a way to be normal again!" he glared into the Heaven's. Silence was all that replied. His anger grew tenfold.

"AMBRIEL!" he shouted. "You bastard!"

More silence.

"Answer me, you coward!"

Still no response.

Danny broke down. His body wracked with sobs at the prospect of becoming that which he had tried so hard to avoid. While he was human he could do the right things. Without that level side of him, he didn't have control anymore.

He didn't have a choice.

_"Finally realize it, huh runt?"_

Danny screwed his eyes shut against the grating voice.

_"You understand now. You can't run from me."_

"Stop..." the boy pleaded weakly. He knew it was a losing battle.

_"You can beg all you want, Danny-boy. It won't make a difference." _The voice chuckled, the menacing bass bouncing around Danny's head.

Danny squeezed his hands over his ears as if to block out the voice. "Please...don't do this."

Another chuckle. _"It's not me. It's you. You are doing this, you're turning into me."_

"No, I'm not! I won't..."

_"You know that's a lie."_

"It's not..." Danny's protests were growing weaker. He could feel his resolve failing.

Suddenly, another voice joined the first in his head.

_"Calm, my child. Do not let him take control._"

Danny vaguely recognized the second voice. It was almost musical. It was enough to make him open his eyes, pupils darting from side to side in confusion.

He could almost feel Dan scowl. _"Stay out of this!"_

_"Fight it, child. Fight it!"_

The boy realized it was Ambriel. He was trying to help him repel Dan! "What do I do?" he called out frantically.

_"Do not let him crush your defenses! You are strong, little one. Despite what you think, you CAN beat him!"_

_"Shut up you insolent rat!"_ Dan spat at the Angel.

"Stop it!" the boy screamed, desperate for the voices to cease their fight for control.

_"The boy is not yours to constrain!"_

_"Who made you boss?"_

_"The boy can not handle the burden you're placing on him!"_

Danny growled low in his throat, his patience running thin.

_"I can do whatever I want! He's _destined_ to be me!"_

_"You don't know his destiny. Only he can make that choice."_

Dan scoffed. _"He lost the ability to choose when he lost his humanity!"_

Danny lost it. His fists connected hard with the metal of the Fenton Works roof as he screamed in frustration. "I SAID SHUT UP!" His ferocity shook the house to the foundation.

***LINE BREAK***

Meanwhile in the living room, Jack and Jazz had been talking about their options. Jack paced the floor and Jazz stood stoically in the corner, no emotions playing on her face. It was obvious her brother was in trouble, but she didn't know what she could do to help.

A faint stirring turned their attention to the raven-haired girl on the couch. She shifted slightly as her eyes fluttered. She groaned as she was assaulted by bright light and squinted.

The first thing she noticed was sharp pains around her upper torso. The simple act of breathing seemed to make it throb. The next thing she noticed was a dull ache throughout her entire body, the portions of her back and right arm a little worse than the rest. Despite the pain that came with it, she took a deep calming breath and urged her eyes to open fully.

Her vision was a little blurry but she could make out two figures coming at her. Instinct told her to flee from the foreign objects closing in on her, but her heart told her to stay still. Plus, the pain had pretty much decided for her that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Sam?"

She recognized the voice of Jazz. Sam now realized that the smaller figure was Jazz and the much larger one had to be Jack. She mustered a small smile.

"Jazz?" her voice cracked from misuse and she blushed in embarrassment.

The older female grinned and kneeled next to the Goth. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Sam's response was a grunt. "I've been better."

Behind Jazz, Jack smiled morosely. "You took quite a hit there."

At this, the Goth frowned. She searched her mind for the memory, but it was an event she couldn't recall. What happened to her?

"I...I don't remember."

Jazz's smile turned to worry. She glanced at her father who could only shrug in return. The red-head looked back at Sam. Should they tell her what happened? Or would it be best to leave that to Danny?

The younger female sighed and rubbed her forehead. It was only then that she noticed the bandage wrapped around her arm. She frowned. The last thing she remembered was rushing after Danny after he fled her house. What on earth happened when she made it to the Fenton household?

That reminded her. She looked up at Jack. "Where is Danny?"

Jack's face softened. "I don't know, Sam. He left a short time ago."

"What happened? Is he okay?" Her voice was full of desperation.

Jazz suddenly thought the floor was quite interesting. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, her nervousness getting the better of her. She wished Danny was there so he could be the one to tell Sam. She didn't think it was right to tell the Goth without Danny. So she said the only thing she could, "I'm so sorry, Sam."

The young female had an uneasy feeling wash over her. Her blood ran cold. "Jazz, what happened?"

"He-" A loud crash interrupted the red-head mid sentence. The entire house shook violently. Maddie's scream could be heard from upstairs.

Dishes rattled around on the counter and several fell to the floor shattering into tiny pieces. The TV threatened to fall off the stand and a loud pop startled the three as a lamp toppled off an end stand and the bulb burst. A sudden influx of power fried the circuits tripping the breaker leaving the house in darkness.

"Maddie!" Jack yelled. The large man tore up the stairs in search of his wife as the house ceased its shaking.

Sam looked around bewildered. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins. She laid her frantic eyes on Jazz who appeared to be just as frightened. The only difference was that Jazz also had a knowing look in her eyes. Sam didn't need to ask what caused the violent shaking. Jazz's eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Danny..." She whispered. It was then that her memories came flooding back. It's as if she was watching a movie in slow motion; her running from her house, the cold air biting at her skin, the absolute despair she felt as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She remembered Danny's fight with Vlad and how the older halfa had nearly killed the Fenton's. But most of all she remembered the intense glow from Danny as he once again began to lose control of himself. The power that radiated from Danny was immense. A single tear ran down her cheek as she remembered the large ectoblast Danny had unleashed her way. But what she still could not remember was how she survived. What ever happened must have deeply affected Danny.

She was startled from her thoughts as a series of crashing sounds resounded throughout the house. Jack was heard yelping from upstairs as the noise got closer.

Finally, the ceiling in the living room collapsed and the two girls screeched as dry wall, wooden studs and nails flew in all directions. Sam used her pillow to cover her face for protection and Jazz dove behind the love seat. Dust billowed out from the hole and dispersed into the air, causing the room to look hazy and making the female's lungs spasm and cough in protest.

As the dust settled and their coughing subsided, they could hear a distinct moaning noise. Sam peeked out from around her pillow and the sight made her gasp.

Danny lie on the floor, groaning and holding his head, writhing about on the carpet. The glow around his body was greatly intensified.

"Danny...?" she ventured. The ghost didn't seem to notice.

Jazz stepped out from her hiding spot, her body shaking from anxiety.

"You girls ok?" Jack bellowed down the stairs. Heavy footsteps indicated he was coming down the stairs. In a few seconds, Jack and Maddie's faces peered around the corner and a collective gasp could be heard.

"Danny!" the large man shouted. He ran straight to his son ignoring his wife's protests.

"S-stop!" the boy managed. Jack hesitated, his steps faltering, before finally halting a few feet from his son.

The white-haired teen let loose a feral growl, making everyone in the room jump. The noise was so foreign coming from the boy that Sam thought she had imagined it. It was only when she heard another one that she knew it wasn't her imagination.

Sam's breath came in ragged gasps as she watched her best friend struggle against something invisible. "D-Danny?"

The young boy tried to get up and run. He knew that if he stayed, his entire family would die, but his body would not obey him! He grunted against the fight that was currently invading his mind. He knew Ambriel was trying to get rid of Dan, but it felt as though his head was going to explode!

"Just s-stay back!" he warned. His voice was raspy and harsh from the power that was surging within him. He could feel his core swarming with energy, too much energy. It was going to rip him apart.

He gasped as his core temperature plummeted, sending chills raking over his body and dropping the temperature in the room by a measurable amount. He knew he was an ice elemental, but this was far colder than anything he had ever experienced.

Tears streamed down Sam's face as she watched Danny. She knew she was completely helpless. Her gaze switched to Jazz. The older girl was mirroring her expression and as the red-head returned the gaze, a feeling of hopelessness passed between them.

Despite all their efforts, Danny was going to turn into something evil.

Jack stared solemnly at his son. He did not know what was happening to him, but he knew it was devastating. He glanced back at Maddie who for once was showing concern for who she thought was just an evil ghost. She locked eyes with him, her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes questioned him on what they could do, and he could see the sorrow spark in those orbs as he shook his head in response.

"Run…"

Danny's voice startled them all. It was so quiet, yet so commanding. "Please…you have to…run…"

Sam shook her head. She refused to leave him!

"G-get away…from m-me…" He rolled over onto his knees and crouched on the floor, his hands still clutching his head.

Although the voices had long since ceased, he could still feel the physical struggle between the two beings in his head, pulling his mind this way and that as they each battled for dominance. He could feel which side was winning and his energy level would wax and wan depending on whom was currently succeeding.

He could only stand by in fear as his power began to increase, his core pouring energy into him as Dan gained the upper hand. Ambriel strove to dampen the power swell but it was no use.

Danny cried out in fright as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm sorry…so…sorry." He cried softly as he felt himself lose control. The battle was over; Ambriel was no match for the might Dan possessed.

He knew he would only be able to watch in heartbreak as everything around him was destroyed. It took only moments for his consciousness to fade out.

Dan was right after all. He was inevitable.

The room lit up with a light so intense it blinded those within. Jazz yelped as her eyes were accosted by the sudden change. Sam blinked against it, refusing to tear her eyes from her best friend. Jack and Maddie covered their faces with shrieks of alarm.

Then they heard it.

A sinister, malevolent laugh permeated the room. It was not Danny's voice—at least, not his current voice. However, Sam could see that it _did_ come from Danny. A chill flitted down her spine, a reaction shared by those in the room.

Jazz froze in fear. She knew that voice. It was a voice both from the past, and from the future. One she would never forget: Dark Dan. So that's what her little brother had been struggling with.

Sam could see Danny lower his hands and open his eyes—blood red eyes. Her fear gave way to panic as her heart sped up. This wasn't _her_ Danny!

The light dimmed enough to allow the humans to look at the ghost while squinting, but it was still quite brilliant. Maddie, usually the brave one with all the know-how, cowered behind her protective husband. The evil and power was radiating off Dan, coming out in ice cold waves. She had never seen a ghost so powerful.

Jazz stayed where she sat and sobbed. She sobbed for her lost brother, for the life he never had, and for the choice that was not his. She sobbed as his freedom was stripped from him and her little brother was lost to her forever.

Dan stood up, a wicked grin spread across his face. He began to pour blue energy into his hand.

No one would be left alive.

Sam was the only one truly thinking. Her panic dissipated as she realized her best friend and everyone else would be lost if she didn't do _something_. With a look of determination, she thrust the blanket from her and swung her sore legs off the couch, ignoring the stabbing pain in her back from the burns.

Standing on wobbly legs, she forced herself to her feet and began to take shaky steps towards the malicious spirit. Time seemed to slow as she approached. She vaguely heard Jazz and Jack shout for her to stop, to run away, to not go near him.

But she knew in her heart of hearts, that if Danny was to be saved, she had to do something.

A look of mild surprise crossed Dan's features as he noticed her advance on him. He turned, prepared to launch the ecto blast straight at her, but something stopped him. What little shred of control the real Danny had managed to halt Dan in his place. It didn't last long, just long enough for Sam to close the distance.

Sam still doesn't know what made her do it; all she can remember is a desperate need to save Danny. Her body acted of its own accord, as if it knew what to do all along.

As the raven-haired teen closed the gap and Dan regained control long enough to try and side-step her, she threw herself at him. Dan wasn't able to dodge and instead was grabbed by the shirt and pulled to Sam.

The Goth used the last of her strength and yanked Danny to her, taking barely a second to think about what she was about to do and gazed into those red eyes. With a split second decision, her lips met his.

The ecto blast vanished and blazing red eyes widened. Sam poured every ounce of feeling into that kiss hoping and praying that it was enough. Every tender moment they ever shared flashed through her mind and she could finally admit what she couldn't when he was alive:

She loved him.

Another sudden flash of light burst from Danny sending Sam flying back into Jazz. Jack and Maddie quickly ran to their side, but their rescue was cut short by the scene playing out before them.

Sam propped herself up on her elbows and watched as the light faded from Danny. He groaned—his own voice—and his eyes flashed back to green. The feeling of power within his core began to die down to normal levels and the glow around him began to fade as well.

He startled as two white rings flared to life at his middle and traveled slowly; one up and one down. As the pass completed and the rings dissipated, a human Danny stood before them; black hair and blue eyes.

Gasps once again dominated the room. Sam could feel fresh tears pooling at her eyes. He was back, truly back.

Maddie could only stare in astonishment as Phantom turned into Fenton. He was telling the truth; he really was her baby boy!

Danny fell to his knees from shock and pure exhaustion. The first thought that crossed his mind: _"What the hell?"_

He realized with a start that he was warm, and after a brief moment, felt a burning sensation in his chest trying to get him to remember to breathe. With a gasp of his own he sucked in precious oxygen, completely elated that such a simple action could bring so much joy.

But what made him happy most of all, was the little flutter he could feel in his chest as his heart pumped life-giving blood throughout his body.

"Danny!" Jazz cried, prompting her brother to look up. He observed the relieved faces of his sister and Sam, the happy face of his father, and the shock from his mother.

As Sam was getting up to run to him, a beam of light settled in front of Danny. The vision of a person stood basking in the glow. But it wasn't just a person, he had wings!

"Ambriel!" Danny said, surprised.

The Angel smiled. "_I lie in wait, away from light. I lie within, just out of sight. I'm something strong, you can not miss. Release me with true love's first kiss_." He recited.

Danny furrowed his brow in confusion. "The riddle?"

"Yes, Daniel. Sam, without knowing it, solved the riddle." The Angel turned and smiled at the teen girl who was currently staring at him warily.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

Jazz stood. "Danny, what's going on?"

The boy in question also stood. "This is Ambriel, my Guardian Angel. He's the one who sent me back."

Sam's wary look turned into one of curiosity.

Jack stepped forward. "I am grateful to you, but what of this 'riddle'?"

The Angel tapped his chin with his index finger. "Daniel was given the option to come back. But, being ever merciful, God gave him the chance to be human again. Or half human, I should say." He smiled. "I could not tell him what would give him his humanity back, but I was able to tell him a riddle. Unfortunately, he's rather clueless." The Angel chuckled at said teens annoyed look. "I even gave him the answer."

Danny scowled. "What? No you didn't!"

"Indeed, I did, young one. It's in the riddle. _'Release me with __true love's first kiss__.'_"

Jazz smiled. "The answer is love. By kissing Danny, Sam gave him his humanity back."

The boy glanced at Sam and noticed her bright red cheeks. Without even knowing it, she gave him his life back. He had the chance to tell her what he was too afraid to before, and if what Jazz said was true, Sam felt the same way. "Sam…"

The Goth looked at Danny, her blush deepening. She shifted nervously as he walked over to her. He stopped in front of her and smiled. "You have no idea what you've done for me, Sam. I can never repay you. But it has given me the chance, and the courage, to say what I couldn't before I died."

Sam looked into his sparkling blue eyes, barely daring to hope he was going to say what she wanted—and needed—him to say.

"I love you."

Danny placed his hands on her cheeks tenderly and pulled her in for a kiss, their lips meeting. Every repressed emotion was released into that one simple kiss. It was as if sparks were flying between the pair, and despite Danny being in human form, Sam could feel a chill through the kiss. It wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite. It sent shivers of pleasure down her spine.

For Danny, her lips were warm and inviting. It clashed with his ice core and melded with it, sending ripples of goose bumps across his skin.

He released her and smiled at her faraway dreamy look. He definitely could relate.

Someone cleared their throat making Danny remember there were other people in the room. Jazz let the tears fall freely as she ran to her little brother and embraced him, Sam stepping back to allow the two some space.

Danny picked up his sister and spun her around, a laugh of pure joy escaping him. The red-head briefly wondered when her baby brother had gotten so big and strong.

As he set Jazz down, he noticed the look from his mother. Jack held back, allowing Maddie to walk forward. Danny took a deep breath, his nerves getting the better of him.

His mother had tears flowing down her face as she reached out and lightly touched Danny on his cheek. She let out a loud sob. She couldn't believe it. He was really there.

Danny grunted as Maddie pulled him into a crushing hug. "Mom…can't…breathe…" he wheezed.

She pulled back, a blush on her cheeks as she hastily apologized. After a moment, she smiled and Danny returned the gesture.

"My boy…my baby boy." She started. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for being so blind to everything, for ignoring the obvious signs and for hunting you day in and day out. It never crossed my mind that it could be something like this. It's supposed to be impossible, for two beings to exist as one. But here you are…an impossibility." She smiled again. "It doesn't make me think any less of you, now that I know. I can see now that what you are is a gift. You have the ability to help people when no one else can. You truly are special."

Danny's own tears now flowed freely as well. Her acceptance was all he really wanted. He hugged her and smiled.

Jack was next. His huge grin reached his ears as he also gave his son a bone crushing hug, lifting him off the ground and squeezing until Danny thought he might pop. When his father set him down, Danny gasped for precious breath, painfully aware that he now needed it.

Recovering, he turned to thank the Angel, only to see Ambriel had already left. His shoulders drooped a little. He wanted to speak with him again.

"_As always, my child: pray, and I will listen."_ Ambriel's voice permeated his mind and he felt himself smile.

He turned when he felt something tug at his hand. Sam shyly smiled at him, a blush lighting her cheeks as she intertwined her hand with his. He flashed her a grin. Now all that was left was to tell Tucker. Of course, then there was the school and everyone else in the town…

He frowned. _That_ was certainly going to take some explaining. After mulling it over a few minutes, he shrugged. They'd figure something out. He didn't really feel like worrying about it right now. _"I have better things to occupy my time with."_ He thought as he stared at Sam.

He took a deep breath—still amazed at the simple action—and mentally prepared himself for the weeks ahead. He had so much to do! He had to catch up with his family, spend time with his girlfriend—he internally smiled at this—catch up in school, play the newest Zombie game, go back to kicking ghost butt, catch up on—

He shook his head and stopped his train of thought. He really needed to slow down. He had all the time in the world for all that.

After all, he had his whole life ahead of him.

***LINE BREAK***

Meanwhile, outside, there was a certain Angel talking with a certain middle-aged ghost.

"It was pretty close there." The Angel's smooth voice held a hint of amusement.

"I had faith in the boy."

Even so, the Angel frowned slightly. "What would you have done if Daniel hadn't made it? As you know, if Sam had been just a few more seconds, it would have been too late to change him."

The ghost switched to an older form. "I would have destroyed him. That timeline can not go forward. You know that."

Ambriel nodded sullenly. Though the ghost clearly was fond of the boy, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Danny if it would save the timeline.

The Angel sighed. "What about the future? How will they explain to the town that a once dead child is now alive?"

Clockwork smiled, reverting to his child-like form. "Leave that to me. No one except Danny and his friends and family will remember what has transpired."

Ambriel nodded, turned, and bowed. "I can not stay any longer. I leave it in your capable hands." With a wink, the Angel shimmered and disappeared.

Clockwork smiled again. As he reverted back to his middle-aged form, he lifted his scepter and it flashed, washing the world with white. Many residents stood in their houses and blinked, thinking there was something they should know, but couldn't remember.

The time spirit surveyed the town around him, his eyes finally coming to rest on Danny Fenton's house. His lips quirked in a smirk.

"All is as it should be."

And he disappeared.

***LINE BREAK***

**^ I hate having to do that line break, but since they stopped allowing my lines in there for some reason I can't get it to work any other way.**

**Well this was a long chapter, and like I said, too long in coming. I'm not happy with the ending, but it's been so long and I've been staring at it the past few weeks, I figured I might as well put it out there for you all to read. If I come up with a better ending later, I can always revise it.**

**I know Clockwork had no part in this story from the beginning, but seeing as I couldn't come up with any other way to explain to the townspeople why Danny was suddenly alive after being shot and killed... Plus, he's kind of Danny's guardian in the series, so I thought it'd be kind of neat for both his guardians to get together.**

**I really hope you enjoyed and I'm already working on the next one I want to post. Of course, I have several already started, but I've narrowed it down to two. I just need to pick which one I really want to post. **

**Please review and tell me if you liked it! I love your feedback!**

**Published: 10/23/2008**

**Finished: 11/25/2011**


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